This page is reserved for positive birth stories from my previous students, or I will post links to positive birth related articles. If you've taken my class and want to share with soon to be parents your birth experience, what it was like seeing you baby with the first time etc., send me your story with permission to post it (this blog is private to students of my classes) or put a link to your birth story in the comments.
We had expected Baby to come quite a bit sooner since I was dilated to a 4 three weeks before the due date and almost completely effaced. But the weeks came and went. I progressed in dilation and my Doctor just couldn't believe I wasn't going into labor. I went in for my 40 week appointment (the day before my due date) and we talked about what the options were if I went overdue. I was positive that wouldn't happen. I honestly don't think I could have handled it.
So we finished chatting and she told me to hop up on the table for my cervix check. I was used to her acting surprised since the past few appointments had been a little ridiculous. All she said was, "I cannot believe this but you are 7 cm dilated and I just stretched you to a 9. Let's send you to the hospital, break your water and get this baby outta there." I was perfectly fine with that. I just felt ready.
We got to the hospital and got all settled in our "natural birthing" room. We were lucky to get that room because there is only one in the hospital. The nurse came in and said that my doctor had contacted another doctor at the hospital and he was going to break my water so we could get things started. A few minutes later (about 12:30 p.m.) he came in and broke my water. His hands were definitely bigger than my regular petite lady doctor. Wasn't painful...but I was MUCH more aware of what was going on. :) He told us it would take a little while for the contractions to kick in so we should just be patient and wait for my body to start the process. What he didn't know is that the last three weeks of my pregnancy had been very unique and that I was walking around at a 7 for a while. The doctor barely got out the door and I was hit with a HARD contraction. It took my breath away. I hadn't experienced anything that strong at home. They just came ridiculously close together and super fast. There was no break like we studied about where "Mom could get short naps early in labor." They just kept going...better than the dang Energizer Bunny.
Around 4 pm the contractions were getting ridiculously strong. I can't even explain how my body felt. But about 5 minutes later I was feeling like I needed to push. My sister in law) and brother were both there. Which was an amazing support and we appreciate it SO much. Every contraction (which were about 30 seconds apart AND double peaking) I felt like I was forced to push and then Mandy, our amazing nurse, told me a different way to breathe in order to stop myself from pushing. I'll be honest, that SUCKED. I got really angry at one nurse that came in and basically yelled at me to breathe a certain way. Luckily she wasn't in there much. My husband was an amazing advocate for me. He made the mean nurse stop talking when she would just walk around during my contractions talking loudly and not being courteous to our desired atmosphere.
Around 4:20 pm I really couldn't handle not pushing anymore. My sis-in-law went and got Mandy. I told her I HAD to push. She told me I wasn't complete and that I had to wait. I think she and my husband could both tell that that news was unbearable for me. It was breaking my will and spirit. Mandy said, "On your next contraction I am going manually push your cervix the little bit that it has left. Then I will call Heather and tell her you are complete. This will hurt really bad. You can do it." I stared at my husband and prepared in the couple seconds I had for something horrible. The contraction came and Mandy did as she said. It was a painfully sharp feeling and I wanted to quit,I cried for the first time in the whole delivery. Mandy had Heather on the phone immediately and told her I was complete.
Heather was there within 15 minutes. She told me I was ready and that on the next contraction she wanted me to push. I did so. His head was there. Our baby was coming. I was exhausted. My husband looked at me and I could see so much joy in his eyes. He said, "You are doing it. He is almost here." I pushed for a little more and Heather said, "Breathe in deep and then push that air out of your bum!" I did that and the so-called "Ring of Fire" was in full RAGE. His head was there. I had been pushing on my side and holding my top leg in my arm. Heather took my leg and put it on her shoulder. She told me that two more pushes would give me my baby. I looked at my husband and drew up any strength I could muster. He told me afterwards he had never seen a person so determined to do anything. I pushed one more time and I felt the sweetest release ever. He was out! My Husband handed me baby. He was beautiful. Perfect. And all ours.
I stared at this little, crying, fragile bundle. An immediate love was there. An overwhelming and spiritual love. I looked at My husband and loved him more than I ever had. What an amazing thing we had just been through together. I couldn't have done it without him. He was the greatest support and coach anyone could ask for. He helped me be calm and maintain the strength to persevere.
People have asked me since if I regret doing it natural or if I will do it again. My answer is, ABSOLUTELY I will do it again. I have never felt such a great feeling of accomplishment and I loved working with my husband for this beautiful blessing. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. (This isn't me pushing my beliefs on anyone. I think every woman should do what she is comfortable in the delivery of her children.) We are truly blessed and are so grateful for this event in our lives. We are even more grateful that our son is healthy and strong. He is lovely (in the most masculine way possible) and has brought so much joy into our lives.
Baby Solara
Solara was born at home on September 3 @ 9:50 am after 24 hrs of labour. I wouldn't change anything, everything was perfect! Now I believe that natural childbirth is not just unmedicated delivery but much more. It is a bond that is made with you and your spouse by working together through the entire process.
Baby Eliza
Thank you again for just helping me clear my head last Thursday. Calling my midwife again helped me a lot. Looking back, the whole experience was actually pretty wonderful. I am pleased with the way things turned out. I hope labor won’t be as intense next time, hoping that there will be no real need to be induced and labor with pitocin. But I’d say the real lifesaver was the relaxation, and just switching between them. It took a few contractions, and reminders during the hard ones, to really relax. Then just using the rainbow or the scenery visuals seemed to be the ones I reverted to often; anything to distract from the pain. And I don’t think I could have done it without Zach. He hardly had time to do anything else besides help me, even his restroom trips had to be super quick, he’d leave as soon as I was relaxed enough to stand on my own, and I’d be starting one when he got back, and he’d run over and let me hang off of him. And I especially couldn’t have done it without him when our midwife was suggesting an epidural. That was a pretty crazy time, and I think him helping me and getting me out of bed to stand and move around may have changed the outcome. And I can’t remember if I told you (I think I did), but I think one of the best parts was right when she came out, we were done!!!! And there was an actual little baby!!! All of it was real. I am so grateful that God allows us to be mothers. I didn’t realize it would be so wonderful.
I want to try to write down as much as I can about your birth so when you're old enough you can read about it, and when I forget the details, I can go back and remember the amazing experience. I wish I could've done this the day after, or only a few days after, but since you've been here, you've taken up all my time!
I was having pretty regular but very mild contractions the Thursday and Friday before I went into labor. They stopped when I went to bed at night, and stopped all together Saturday and Sunday. I called in sick to work on Friday night just in case I went into labor, because the thought of pushing you out with no sleep seemed nearly impossible. I'm so glad I did because that gave your daddy and I one last special weekend to spend just the two of us. We went on a long walk up a huge hill on Friday night, and Saturday night he took me to a fancy, (expensive) steak house in Salt Lake. We stuffed ourselves to the max! Sunday we went to church, and I felt great. No signs of labor. Sunday evening, we went to bed early and stayed up late reading our Bradley books.
Sunday night about 11 I started to have some real contractions- the kind that start low and radiate up. They became regular, about 7 minutes apart. It wasn't painful yet, and I was sure they would stop. Well, they didn't stop, and they were 4 minutes apart before I knew it. They were strong enough to keep me awake, but I tried to relax through them as best I could. I still didn't want to call anyone just in case this was false labor. I decided to get in the bath to help ease the discomfort. When I got out of the bath at around 3am, I laid on my bed and had a couple more strong contractions. It was at this point that I heard and felt a strange pop at the peak of a contraction. I knew immediately that my water just broke! Luckily I was able to run to the toilet, so I didn't get the bed all wet! After that, I told daddy that we needed to go to the hospital and that this was the real thing! I spouted out orders to him to call my parents, call the midwife, gather our bags, get the car-seat in the car, get my pants and shoes, put them on me...things like that. We weren't quite prepared because we thought we still had a week! My contractions became extremely strong and were painful for the first time after my water broke. I started shaking and couldn't get off the floor, move or talk during the contractions. Daddy helped me get from the floor to the bed and then to the couch. When everything was in the car and ready to go, I walked out to the car in the middle of a snowy night. Luckily we were only a few minutes from the hospital because the contractions in the car were really uncomfortable. When we got to the hospital, we went straight up the elevator to the Labor and Delivery unit. I leaned on daddy during a particularly difficult contraction, and tried to remember to use the techniques we'd learned in our Bradley classes.
When we got to the triage room, they had me undress and put a gown on. I think they saw that I was clearly already in hard labor, if not transition! They tried to put the monitors around me and told me to lay on my back so they could get a 20 minute strip. That was the worst! The monitors were hurting, and the only way I could relax was on my side. They checked me and told me I was dilated to a 7 or 8! Ouch, but good news. There was one point when I thought I can't do this, I need something to ease the pain, but daddy was right there to encourage me, and before I could say anything, I was walking to the delivery room.
When I got there, I continued to labor on my side. There was no time to now rest, relax or use mental imagery or massage in between my contractions. They were coming right on top of each other. The one thing I tried was imagining I was floating in the ocean over waves. That helped a little. What helped the most was daddy reminding me to breath slow and deep and doing it with me.
Only a few minutes after we got settled in the delivery room, I felt the urge to push. My midwife still wasn't there (and daddy told me later that they couldn't get a hold of her- she was asleep somewhere in the hospital! So glad he didn't tell me that in the moment- I probably would've freaked!) Anyways, Roberta, a midwife I'd never met showed up minutes later. I remained in the side-lying position as I started to bear down and push you out. It actually felt good to work with my contractions and push. Plus, I had more time in between contractions to rest and relax. When I felt a contraction starting to come on, I grabbed daddy's sweatshirt, took a couple deep breaths, and pushed with all my might! My midwife was there the whole time, rubbing my back and hips in places that helped ease the pain. She suggested that I switch positions, so I turned around, she put the head of the bed up, and I pushed in a backwards kneeling, squatting position for a while. Is this too much information Maddie? Sorry, I just wanna remember! So next I tried pushing in the classic position, and finally ended up back on my side. They brought a giant mirror so I could watch because you were getting close. It was hard for me to watch for some reason. I preferred to just have them tell me I was making progress. The nurse and midwife were so calm, and every time they checked your heart beat with the dopple, they said you were doing excellent.
Crowning. Oh crowning, how you weren't what I had expected! OUCH! I still am amazed at how you were born. My midwife coached the last few pushes, and held warm wash cloths to keep me from tearing. I reached down to feel your head, and was in awe that I was only a few moments away from meeting my baby, at last! I was so exhausted after pushing for 2 hours, but finally you were born at 6:25am on January 26th, 2009. Daddy said you got a little stuck with just your head and trunk out, and you were looking all around despite the fact that you were purple and blue! One more push and you slid out! What relief! You let out a brief cry, and they laid you on my chest. I asked if you were ok because you weren't crying. They reassured me you were fine, and I felt incredible love for you as you laid on my chest and breathed gently against my skin. What a miracle. After a few minutes of bliss and disbelief, daddy cut the cord and they took you to weigh you and check you out. Roberta told me I needed to push a few more times to get the placenta out. I didn't want to push any more, but went along with it, and pushed that amazing organ out.They told me my bedding was soaked, so to your daddy's amazement, I did the "crab stance" and helped the nurse change my sheets. He couldn't believe I could do such a thing and walk to the bathroom after what he just watched me do! He was proud of me. I was grateful to him for just being there and being my support. Soon after all this, they wheeled me to Mother/Baby, and took you to the nursery for your bath and more tests. Luckily daddy was with you the whole time, but I didn't get to see you for almost 2 hours! I was ticked. Oh well. I guess you screamed during your bath, and didn't like to get poked. I don't blame you.
All things considered, I felt so blessed with my labor and delivery experience. It couldn't have gone more perfectly. Now I am an even stronger advocate for natural childbirth because I've done it, and it was amazing! I love you Maddison. I'll forever remember the day you were born, and look back on it with feelings of joy and elation.
Love,
Mommy
Thanks again for helping us at our birth. It was a great comfort having you there. I feel disappointed that I got an epidural--especially since I felt I could handle a lot more at that point. When I look back, I feel like if my midwife wasn't so negative and pushy, I wouldn't have had the epidural. I don't feel too badly though, because I had my Coach, you and the nurse who were so supportive and made me feel good about myself anyway.
I was mostly scared about the second stage labor (worried about tearing), and when I look back I feel proud and happy that I didn't let her give me an episiotomy, and I'm glad that I took that stage at my own pace. I'm so glad you were there for that! It might seem silly, but at that point it seemed like a battle with the midwife to have things my own way, and during the second stage I feel like I "won." That was pretty invigorating.
It's funny--one reason I regret getting the epidural was because I felt more comfortable before I got it. I was able to feel you guys touching me, and I was able to move around. With the epidural I didn't feel intense pain, but I felt heavy and helpless. Our baby boy is healthy though, and I'm healthy, and that really is the most important thing.
I can see why you would prefer having the baby at home. It was really annoying having all of those extra people in the room waiting for me to deliver, and having the pushy midwife. I would love to be able to welcome my next baby into a very relaxed and comfortable environment, where no one was waiting to weigh and measure him/her.
Another reason I feel like I got the epidural was because I was getting terrified waiting for "real labor" to start. I'd heard only horror stories about labor, and how painful it is. I had painful contractions, but I felt I could handle them all. I was getting more and more scared the more I waited for all those horror stories to come true. In retrospect, I feel like I can confidently say that I can do a natural childbirth. Those that say I can't are most likely those that have never tried.
I started having contractions at 8pm on Thursday evening. We labored all day Friday and went to the hospital that night at 7pm when contractions got to 5 minutes apart. I was only dilated to a 1+. They kept me for an hour and then had to release me because of hospital policy - my cervix made no changes in that hour. We went back up to L&D at around 2am as I was having late first stage contractions. At that point I had only dilated to a 2. After I was able to relax things went relatively quickly - I dilated from a 2 to a 6 in 30 minutes and I was at a 10 shortly after... I pushed 3 or 4 times and our baby was born at 5:11am!
When Friday rolled around, I began having what I guessed were minor contractions. Sporadically throughout the day, I would feel a tightening in my lower pelvic area. They were coming a few times an hour. At first, I was able to just ignore them, but by late afternoon, I had to stop what I was doing, bend over and catch my breath.
I still went to my massage appointment I had set up earlier in the day, I counted 11 contractions, one contraction every eight minutes.
I had two contractions in the car on the 15-minute drive home from the massage and decided I should probably be done driving. When I arrived home around 7:30 p.m., I told my husband and mother, who had flown in a few days earlier, that I thought we were having a baby that night.
Over the next few hours, I tried to eat and relax. I practiced deeply inhaling through my nose while pushing my belly out and exhaling through my mouth while letting my belly deflate. When 11 p.m. came around, I decided to try to go to sleep to conserve energy, but quickly realized I wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. By that time, my contractions were coming on stronger and more frequently, and I felt I could deal with them better standing up or on my knees.
While lying in bed for those few minutes, I felt a wet warmth and upon getting up to check, realized I had lost my mucous plug. It discharged in a small, stringy, slightly bloody clump—not quite the bloody show I had expected—and continued to excrete itself over the next few hours.
We got out of bed and attempted to watch a movie to create a distraction and help pass the time. It worked for a little while, but soon the contractions were coming every few minutes and lasting around 30 seconds. I’m not quite sure how the movie ended because I mostly leaned over as my contractions were approaching 60 seconds and becoming very regular.
My coach applied counter-pressure to my lower back and hips as I moaned and tried to breathe through the contractions. He suggested we wait another half hour before heading to the hospital and I agreed. We had planned to labor at home as long as possible to avoid being pressured into any interventions at the hospital. My Drs experience was that most first-time moms come into the hospital too early.
My coach woke up my mom to get her ready to go and finished gathering some essentials for our stay at the hospital. When the half hour was up, it was around 2:30 a.m. and I felt like I couldn’t labor at home any longer. I must surely be at least eight centimeters with this kind of pain, right?
Thankfully, the hospital is just a stone’s throw away, so it only took a few minutes to get there. On the way, I had two more contractions. Not fun to have contractions in a car. My coach dropped my mom and me off at the front entrance, where we headed straight to Labor and Delivery, pausing only to get through another contraction.
When we arrived in the proper wing, the nurses told me to head to a triage room to be checked. On the way, I leaned against the wall and worked through yet another contraction. I must have looked and sounded serious, so they instead directed me straight to a delivery room.
After getting in my gown, our main nurse Chelsey checked my cervix. I was about 6 ½ centimeters dilated. A little disappointing; I’d thought I was further along and wondered if I should have stayed home a little longer. She noted my bag of waters was bulging and could be broken to speed things up. I opted to keep the bag in tact because I knew that it actually served as a cushion as the baby moved down my canal and also because the risk of infection increases once the bag is broken.
The next step was strapping external fetal monitors around my belly to monitor my contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. In accordance with my birth plan, which my coach had reviewed thoroughly with Chelsey upon our arrival, the monitors were supposed to just be on to get an initial reading, then at 15-minute intervals every hour. I didn’t want to wear the monitors the whole time because I wanted the option to walk around, which aids in progression of labor.
Turns out the fetal monitors stayed strapped on the whole time because they kept falling off and the nurses had trouble getting a consistent reading. This actually worked out fine because I didn’t end up walking more than a few feet away from the bed. Instead, I leaned over a nearby table, hung over the top of the upright bed and sat on a birthing ball as the contractions came every few minutes. The volume on the monitors must have been turned down or off because I didn’t even notice their beeping.
I was really starting to want to push. After about an hour at the hospital, I was dilated to eight centimeters and with each contraction, I seriously felt like I was going to defecate and/or push the baby out. I really had to concentrate to prevent myself from pushing. The only relief was sitting on the birthing ball, which helped provide a counter-pressure to these pushing sensations. My coach was also helpful in counting down my contractions so I knew about how much longer I had until a reprieve.
By the time 4:30 a.m. rolled around, I was a ripe nine centimeters dilated. Chelsey said that the Dr was now in the building and asked again if I wanted him to break my water. Since I was desperate to get that baby out of me I said yes.
He was preparing to break my bag when I felt it partially slide out of my vagina in tact. It felt like a skinny, slimy water balloon. So the doctor didn’t have to reach into my body at all to access the sac; he just popped it as it hung out of me. I felt a warm, wet gush. I wonder now if my water hadn’t been manually broken whether our baby would have been delivered in the sac.
By 5 a.m. (two hours and 15 minutes after arriving at the hospital) I was fully dilated to 10 centimeters and given the OK to push. While it was somewhat of a relief to begin the pushing process, it was no less painful than the contractions. By this point, I was sitting in bed with my knees up and my back about halfway reclined. This was not the plan. I wanted to deliver my baby squatting or at least a little more upright so that gravity could work with me, but I didn’t want to move. My feet were resting on the stirrups and it felt good to push my legs into the stirrups while my hands were grasping under my thighs, pulling in the opposite direction.
As I reviewed the video footage of the birth, it was apparent that this semi-lying position was not ideal. I was pushing out and up instead of out and down, and I really wish I had tried a different position. Maybe that would have shortened my 45-minute period of pushing.
I also wish I could have just pushed and pushed and pushed, but I needed the strength of a contraction to help me bear down. It seemed my contractions were coming more slowly, giving me time to catch my breath between pushing, but also resulting in a two-steps-forward-one-step-back-type of outcome: when pushing, the baby’s head could be seen, while resting seemed to suck the head back into my body.
My birth team was amazing during this time, as they were throughout my non-pushing contractions. Consisting of my mom, my sister and my husband, they were cheering me on, helping me breathe, keeping me hydrated, giving me tips and keeping me informed of my progress. Towards the end of pushing, the nurse brought in a mirror so I could see the progress myself. I’m not sure whether this was motivating or distracting, but it was certainly interesting to see the baby’s head and hair as it slowly crowned.
Crowning was extremely uncomfortable. At one point, I asked the doctor if he could just grab the baby’s head and pull her out. He said seriously, “I can do that.” My husband assured the Dr. that a forceps delivery would not be necessary.
At another point before baby’s head crowned, the Dr. informed me that I was pretty much stretched as far as I could stretch. He offered to give me an episiotomy or even just a “nick,” which he said wasn’t quite an episiotomy, to prevent tearing. I was firmly against episiotomies, but a nick sure sounded good. Luckily, my ever-supportive husband again stepped in and said an episiotomy—whether a nick or a full-on cut—would not be necessary. As noted in my birth plan, natural tearing was preferable to an episiotomy.
So I pushed on, uncut and unaided, making noises that I have never made before in my life. I tried to keep my groaning on the deep, low side of the spectrum, as Chelsey reminded me this would help me conserve energy, but I found that nearly impossible to do. I remember thinking that I sounded like a racecar engine revving up, starting low and quiet and gradually getting high-pitched and very loud. I alternated between long, hard pushes and short, grunting pushes, finding the former to be more effective.
I was shaking like crazy, which I was told was normal. I had actually started getting the shakes while watching the movie at home, at which point I thought I was just cold. I put on warmer clothes and fleece socks (which I continued to rock as a lovely accessory to my hospital gown), but to no avail. At the hospital, the shaking got worse.
Finally, at 5:46 a.m. and after 45 minutes of pushing, our baby's head emerged with one giant push. Another giant push yielded her shoulders and our baby was born. A flood of relief swept over me.
Having a baby was more drastic than I had anticipated. I could fairly easily have been convinced to turn to interventions had I not been in the care of a supportive birth team or if I had a longer labor.
I was able to walk (though a little bow-legged) out of the hospital the next day and have continued to recover rapidly. Most importantly, our baby is doing well and we’re enjoying every minute with our new bundle of joy.
And that’s my birth story.
Ruth and Jeff:
We had expected Baby to come quite a bit sooner since I was dilated to a 4 three weeks before the due date and almost completely effaced. But the weeks came and went. I progressed in dilation and my Doctor just couldn't believe I wasn't going into labor. I went in for my 40 week appointment (the day before my due date) and we talked about what the options were if I went overdue. I was positive that wouldn't happen. I honestly don't think I could have handled it.
So we finished chatting and she told me to hop up on the table for my cervix check. I was used to her acting surprised since the past few appointments had been a little ridiculous. All she said was, "I cannot believe this but you are 7 cm dilated and I just stretched you to a 9. Let's send you to the hospital, break your water and get this baby outta there." I was perfectly fine with that. I just felt ready.
We got to the hospital and got all settled in our "natural birthing" room. We were lucky to get that room because there is only one in the hospital. The nurse came in and said that my doctor had contacted another doctor at the hospital and he was going to break my water so we could get things started. A few minutes later (about 12:30 p.m.) he came in and broke my water. His hands were definitely bigger than my regular petite lady doctor. Wasn't painful...but I was MUCH more aware of what was going on. :) He told us it would take a little while for the contractions to kick in so we should just be patient and wait for my body to start the process. What he didn't know is that the last three weeks of my pregnancy had been very unique and that I was walking around at a 7 for a while. The doctor barely got out the door and I was hit with a HARD contraction. It took my breath away. I hadn't experienced anything that strong at home. They just came ridiculously close together and super fast. There was no break like we studied about where "Mom could get short naps early in labor." They just kept going...better than the dang Energizer Bunny.
Around 4 pm the contractions were getting ridiculously strong. I can't even explain how my body felt. But about 5 minutes later I was feeling like I needed to push. My sister in law) and brother were both there. Which was an amazing support and we appreciate it SO much. Every contraction (which were about 30 seconds apart AND double peaking) I felt like I was forced to push and then Mandy, our amazing nurse, told me a different way to breathe in order to stop myself from pushing. I'll be honest, that SUCKED. I got really angry at one nurse that came in and basically yelled at me to breathe a certain way. Luckily she wasn't in there much. My husband was an amazing advocate for me. He made the mean nurse stop talking when she would just walk around during my contractions talking loudly and not being courteous to our desired atmosphere.
Around 4:20 pm I really couldn't handle not pushing anymore. My sis-in-law went and got Mandy. I told her I HAD to push. She told me I wasn't complete and that I had to wait. I think she and my husband could both tell that that news was unbearable for me. It was breaking my will and spirit. Mandy said, "On your next contraction I am going manually push your cervix the little bit that it has left. Then I will call Heather and tell her you are complete. This will hurt really bad. You can do it." I stared at my husband and prepared in the couple seconds I had for something horrible. The contraction came and Mandy did as she said. It was a painfully sharp feeling and I wanted to quit,I cried for the first time in the whole delivery. Mandy had Heather on the phone immediately and told her I was complete.
Heather was there within 15 minutes. She told me I was ready and that on the next contraction she wanted me to push. I did so. His head was there. Our baby was coming. I was exhausted. My husband looked at me and I could see so much joy in his eyes. He said, "You are doing it. He is almost here." I pushed for a little more and Heather said, "Breathe in deep and then push that air out of your bum!" I did that and the so-called "Ring of Fire" was in full RAGE. His head was there. I had been pushing on my side and holding my top leg in my arm. Heather took my leg and put it on her shoulder. She told me that two more pushes would give me my baby. I looked at my husband and drew up any strength I could muster. He told me afterwards he had never seen a person so determined to do anything. I pushed one more time and I felt the sweetest release ever. He was out! My Husband handed me baby. He was beautiful. Perfect. And all ours.
I stared at this little, crying, fragile bundle. An immediate love was there. An overwhelming and spiritual love. I looked at My husband and loved him more than I ever had. What an amazing thing we had just been through together. I couldn't have done it without him. He was the greatest support and coach anyone could ask for. He helped me be calm and maintain the strength to persevere.
People have asked me since if I regret doing it natural or if I will do it again. My answer is, ABSOLUTELY I will do it again. I have never felt such a great feeling of accomplishment and I loved working with my husband for this beautiful blessing. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. (This isn't me pushing my beliefs on anyone. I think every woman should do what she is comfortable in the delivery of her children.) We are truly blessed and are so grateful for this event in our lives. We are even more grateful that our son is healthy and strong. He is lovely (in the most masculine way possible) and has brought so much joy into our lives.
****
Baby Solara
Solara was born at home on September 3 @ 9:50 am after 24 hrs of labour. I wouldn't change anything, everything was perfect! Now I believe that natural childbirth is not just unmedicated delivery but much more. It is a bond that is made with you and your spouse by working together through the entire process.
****
Baby Eliza
Thank you again for just helping me clear my head last Thursday. Calling my midwife again helped me a lot. Looking back, the whole experience was actually pretty wonderful. I am pleased with the way things turned out. I hope labor won’t be as intense next time, hoping that there will be no real need to be induced and labor with pitocin. But I’d say the real lifesaver was the relaxation, and just switching between them. It took a few contractions, and reminders during the hard ones, to really relax. Then just using the rainbow or the scenery visuals seemed to be the ones I reverted to often; anything to distract from the pain. And I don’t think I could have done it without Zach. He hardly had time to do anything else besides help me, even his restroom trips had to be super quick, he’d leave as soon as I was relaxed enough to stand on my own, and I’d be starting one when he got back, and he’d run over and let me hang off of him. And I especially couldn’t have done it without him when our midwife was suggesting an epidural. That was a pretty crazy time, and I think him helping me and getting me out of bed to stand and move around may have changed the outcome. And I can’t remember if I told you (I think I did), but I think one of the best parts was right when she came out, we were done!!!! And there was an actual little baby!!! All of it was real. I am so grateful that God allows us to be mothers. I didn’t realize it would be so wonderful.
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I want to try to write down as much as I can about your birth so when you're old enough you can read about it, and when I forget the details, I can go back and remember the amazing experience. I wish I could've done this the day after, or only a few days after, but since you've been here, you've taken up all my time!
I was having pretty regular but very mild contractions the Thursday and Friday before I went into labor. They stopped when I went to bed at night, and stopped all together Saturday and Sunday. I called in sick to work on Friday night just in case I went into labor, because the thought of pushing you out with no sleep seemed nearly impossible. I'm so glad I did because that gave your daddy and I one last special weekend to spend just the two of us. We went on a long walk up a huge hill on Friday night, and Saturday night he took me to a fancy, (expensive) steak house in Salt Lake. We stuffed ourselves to the max! Sunday we went to church, and I felt great. No signs of labor. Sunday evening, we went to bed early and stayed up late reading our Bradley books.
Sunday night about 11 I started to have some real contractions- the kind that start low and radiate up. They became regular, about 7 minutes apart. It wasn't painful yet, and I was sure they would stop. Well, they didn't stop, and they were 4 minutes apart before I knew it. They were strong enough to keep me awake, but I tried to relax through them as best I could. I still didn't want to call anyone just in case this was false labor. I decided to get in the bath to help ease the discomfort. When I got out of the bath at around 3am, I laid on my bed and had a couple more strong contractions. It was at this point that I heard and felt a strange pop at the peak of a contraction. I knew immediately that my water just broke! Luckily I was able to run to the toilet, so I didn't get the bed all wet! After that, I told daddy that we needed to go to the hospital and that this was the real thing! I spouted out orders to him to call my parents, call the midwife, gather our bags, get the car-seat in the car, get my pants and shoes, put them on me...things like that. We weren't quite prepared because we thought we still had a week! My contractions became extremely strong and were painful for the first time after my water broke. I started shaking and couldn't get off the floor, move or talk during the contractions. Daddy helped me get from the floor to the bed and then to the couch. When everything was in the car and ready to go, I walked out to the car in the middle of a snowy night. Luckily we were only a few minutes from the hospital because the contractions in the car were really uncomfortable. When we got to the hospital, we went straight up the elevator to the Labor and Delivery unit. I leaned on daddy during a particularly difficult contraction, and tried to remember to use the techniques we'd learned in our Bradley classes.
When we got to the triage room, they had me undress and put a gown on. I think they saw that I was clearly already in hard labor, if not transition! They tried to put the monitors around me and told me to lay on my back so they could get a 20 minute strip. That was the worst! The monitors were hurting, and the only way I could relax was on my side. They checked me and told me I was dilated to a 7 or 8! Ouch, but good news. There was one point when I thought I can't do this, I need something to ease the pain, but daddy was right there to encourage me, and before I could say anything, I was walking to the delivery room.
When I got there, I continued to labor on my side. There was no time to now rest, relax or use mental imagery or massage in between my contractions. They were coming right on top of each other. The one thing I tried was imagining I was floating in the ocean over waves. That helped a little. What helped the most was daddy reminding me to breath slow and deep and doing it with me.
Only a few minutes after we got settled in the delivery room, I felt the urge to push. My midwife still wasn't there (and daddy told me later that they couldn't get a hold of her- she was asleep somewhere in the hospital! So glad he didn't tell me that in the moment- I probably would've freaked!) Anyways, Roberta, a midwife I'd never met showed up minutes later. I remained in the side-lying position as I started to bear down and push you out. It actually felt good to work with my contractions and push. Plus, I had more time in between contractions to rest and relax. When I felt a contraction starting to come on, I grabbed daddy's sweatshirt, took a couple deep breaths, and pushed with all my might! My midwife was there the whole time, rubbing my back and hips in places that helped ease the pain. She suggested that I switch positions, so I turned around, she put the head of the bed up, and I pushed in a backwards kneeling, squatting position for a while. Is this too much information Maddie? Sorry, I just wanna remember! So next I tried pushing in the classic position, and finally ended up back on my side. They brought a giant mirror so I could watch because you were getting close. It was hard for me to watch for some reason. I preferred to just have them tell me I was making progress. The nurse and midwife were so calm, and every time they checked your heart beat with the dopple, they said you were doing excellent.
Crowning. Oh crowning, how you weren't what I had expected! OUCH! I still am amazed at how you were born. My midwife coached the last few pushes, and held warm wash cloths to keep me from tearing. I reached down to feel your head, and was in awe that I was only a few moments away from meeting my baby, at last! I was so exhausted after pushing for 2 hours, but finally you were born at 6:25am on January 26th, 2009. Daddy said you got a little stuck with just your head and trunk out, and you were looking all around despite the fact that you were purple and blue! One more push and you slid out! What relief! You let out a brief cry, and they laid you on my chest. I asked if you were ok because you weren't crying. They reassured me you were fine, and I felt incredible love for you as you laid on my chest and breathed gently against my skin. What a miracle. After a few minutes of bliss and disbelief, daddy cut the cord and they took you to weigh you and check you out. Roberta told me I needed to push a few more times to get the placenta out. I didn't want to push any more, but went along with it, and pushed that amazing organ out.They told me my bedding was soaked, so to your daddy's amazement, I did the "crab stance" and helped the nurse change my sheets. He couldn't believe I could do such a thing and walk to the bathroom after what he just watched me do! He was proud of me. I was grateful to him for just being there and being my support. Soon after all this, they wheeled me to Mother/Baby, and took you to the nursery for your bath and more tests. Luckily daddy was with you the whole time, but I didn't get to see you for almost 2 hours! I was ticked. Oh well. I guess you screamed during your bath, and didn't like to get poked. I don't blame you.
All things considered, I felt so blessed with my labor and delivery experience. It couldn't have gone more perfectly. Now I am an even stronger advocate for natural childbirth because I've done it, and it was amazing! I love you Maddison. I'll forever remember the day you were born, and look back on it with feelings of joy and elation.
Love,
Mommy
****
Thanks again for helping us at our birth. It was a great comfort having you there. I feel disappointed that I got an epidural--especially since I felt I could handle a lot more at that point. When I look back, I feel like if my midwife wasn't so negative and pushy, I wouldn't have had the epidural. I don't feel too badly though, because I had my Coach, you and the nurse who were so supportive and made me feel good about myself anyway.
I was mostly scared about the second stage labor (worried about tearing), and when I look back I feel proud and happy that I didn't let her give me an episiotomy, and I'm glad that I took that stage at my own pace. I'm so glad you were there for that! It might seem silly, but at that point it seemed like a battle with the midwife to have things my own way, and during the second stage I feel like I "won." That was pretty invigorating.
It's funny--one reason I regret getting the epidural was because I felt more comfortable before I got it. I was able to feel you guys touching me, and I was able to move around. With the epidural I didn't feel intense pain, but I felt heavy and helpless. Our baby boy is healthy though, and I'm healthy, and that really is the most important thing.
I can see why you would prefer having the baby at home. It was really annoying having all of those extra people in the room waiting for me to deliver, and having the pushy midwife. I would love to be able to welcome my next baby into a very relaxed and comfortable environment, where no one was waiting to weigh and measure him/her.
Another reason I feel like I got the epidural was because I was getting terrified waiting for "real labor" to start. I'd heard only horror stories about labor, and how painful it is. I had painful contractions, but I felt I could handle them all. I was getting more and more scared the more I waited for all those horror stories to come true. In retrospect, I feel like I can confidently say that I can do a natural childbirth. Those that say I can't are most likely those that have never tried.
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I started having contractions at 8pm on Thursday evening. We labored all day Friday and went to the hospital that night at 7pm when contractions got to 5 minutes apart. I was only dilated to a 1+. They kept me for an hour and then had to release me because of hospital policy - my cervix made no changes in that hour. We went back up to L&D at around 2am as I was having late first stage contractions. At that point I had only dilated to a 2. After I was able to relax things went relatively quickly - I dilated from a 2 to a 6 in 30 minutes and I was at a 10 shortly after... I pushed 3 or 4 times and our baby was born at 5:11am!
****
When Friday rolled around, I began having what I guessed were minor contractions. Sporadically throughout the day, I would feel a tightening in my lower pelvic area. They were coming a few times an hour. At first, I was able to just ignore them, but by late afternoon, I had to stop what I was doing, bend over and catch my breath.
I still went to my massage appointment I had set up earlier in the day, I counted 11 contractions, one contraction every eight minutes.
I had two contractions in the car on the 15-minute drive home from the massage and decided I should probably be done driving. When I arrived home around 7:30 p.m., I told my husband and mother, who had flown in a few days earlier, that I thought we were having a baby that night.
Over the next few hours, I tried to eat and relax. I practiced deeply inhaling through my nose while pushing my belly out and exhaling through my mouth while letting my belly deflate. When 11 p.m. came around, I decided to try to go to sleep to conserve energy, but quickly realized I wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. By that time, my contractions were coming on stronger and more frequently, and I felt I could deal with them better standing up or on my knees.
While lying in bed for those few minutes, I felt a wet warmth and upon getting up to check, realized I had lost my mucous plug. It discharged in a small, stringy, slightly bloody clump—not quite the bloody show I had expected—and continued to excrete itself over the next few hours.
We got out of bed and attempted to watch a movie to create a distraction and help pass the time. It worked for a little while, but soon the contractions were coming every few minutes and lasting around 30 seconds. I’m not quite sure how the movie ended because I mostly leaned over as my contractions were approaching 60 seconds and becoming very regular.
My coach applied counter-pressure to my lower back and hips as I moaned and tried to breathe through the contractions. He suggested we wait another half hour before heading to the hospital and I agreed. We had planned to labor at home as long as possible to avoid being pressured into any interventions at the hospital. My Drs experience was that most first-time moms come into the hospital too early.
My coach woke up my mom to get her ready to go and finished gathering some essentials for our stay at the hospital. When the half hour was up, it was around 2:30 a.m. and I felt like I couldn’t labor at home any longer. I must surely be at least eight centimeters with this kind of pain, right?
Thankfully, the hospital is just a stone’s throw away, so it only took a few minutes to get there. On the way, I had two more contractions. Not fun to have contractions in a car. My coach dropped my mom and me off at the front entrance, where we headed straight to Labor and Delivery, pausing only to get through another contraction.
When we arrived in the proper wing, the nurses told me to head to a triage room to be checked. On the way, I leaned against the wall and worked through yet another contraction. I must have looked and sounded serious, so they instead directed me straight to a delivery room.
After getting in my gown, our main nurse Chelsey checked my cervix. I was about 6 ½ centimeters dilated. A little disappointing; I’d thought I was further along and wondered if I should have stayed home a little longer. She noted my bag of waters was bulging and could be broken to speed things up. I opted to keep the bag in tact because I knew that it actually served as a cushion as the baby moved down my canal and also because the risk of infection increases once the bag is broken.
The next step was strapping external fetal monitors around my belly to monitor my contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. In accordance with my birth plan, which my coach had reviewed thoroughly with Chelsey upon our arrival, the monitors were supposed to just be on to get an initial reading, then at 15-minute intervals every hour. I didn’t want to wear the monitors the whole time because I wanted the option to walk around, which aids in progression of labor.
Turns out the fetal monitors stayed strapped on the whole time because they kept falling off and the nurses had trouble getting a consistent reading. This actually worked out fine because I didn’t end up walking more than a few feet away from the bed. Instead, I leaned over a nearby table, hung over the top of the upright bed and sat on a birthing ball as the contractions came every few minutes. The volume on the monitors must have been turned down or off because I didn’t even notice their beeping.
I was really starting to want to push. After about an hour at the hospital, I was dilated to eight centimeters and with each contraction, I seriously felt like I was going to defecate and/or push the baby out. I really had to concentrate to prevent myself from pushing. The only relief was sitting on the birthing ball, which helped provide a counter-pressure to these pushing sensations. My coach was also helpful in counting down my contractions so I knew about how much longer I had until a reprieve.
By the time 4:30 a.m. rolled around, I was a ripe nine centimeters dilated. Chelsey said that the Dr was now in the building and asked again if I wanted him to break my water. Since I was desperate to get that baby out of me I said yes.
He was preparing to break my bag when I felt it partially slide out of my vagina in tact. It felt like a skinny, slimy water balloon. So the doctor didn’t have to reach into my body at all to access the sac; he just popped it as it hung out of me. I felt a warm, wet gush. I wonder now if my water hadn’t been manually broken whether our baby would have been delivered in the sac.
By 5 a.m. (two hours and 15 minutes after arriving at the hospital) I was fully dilated to 10 centimeters and given the OK to push. While it was somewhat of a relief to begin the pushing process, it was no less painful than the contractions. By this point, I was sitting in bed with my knees up and my back about halfway reclined. This was not the plan. I wanted to deliver my baby squatting or at least a little more upright so that gravity could work with me, but I didn’t want to move. My feet were resting on the stirrups and it felt good to push my legs into the stirrups while my hands were grasping under my thighs, pulling in the opposite direction.
As I reviewed the video footage of the birth, it was apparent that this semi-lying position was not ideal. I was pushing out and up instead of out and down, and I really wish I had tried a different position. Maybe that would have shortened my 45-minute period of pushing.
I also wish I could have just pushed and pushed and pushed, but I needed the strength of a contraction to help me bear down. It seemed my contractions were coming more slowly, giving me time to catch my breath between pushing, but also resulting in a two-steps-forward-one-step-back-type of outcome: when pushing, the baby’s head could be seen, while resting seemed to suck the head back into my body.
My birth team was amazing during this time, as they were throughout my non-pushing contractions. Consisting of my mom, my sister and my husband, they were cheering me on, helping me breathe, keeping me hydrated, giving me tips and keeping me informed of my progress. Towards the end of pushing, the nurse brought in a mirror so I could see the progress myself. I’m not sure whether this was motivating or distracting, but it was certainly interesting to see the baby’s head and hair as it slowly crowned.
Crowning was extremely uncomfortable. At one point, I asked the doctor if he could just grab the baby’s head and pull her out. He said seriously, “I can do that.” My husband assured the Dr. that a forceps delivery would not be necessary.
At another point before baby’s head crowned, the Dr. informed me that I was pretty much stretched as far as I could stretch. He offered to give me an episiotomy or even just a “nick,” which he said wasn’t quite an episiotomy, to prevent tearing. I was firmly against episiotomies, but a nick sure sounded good. Luckily, my ever-supportive husband again stepped in and said an episiotomy—whether a nick or a full-on cut—would not be necessary. As noted in my birth plan, natural tearing was preferable to an episiotomy.
So I pushed on, uncut and unaided, making noises that I have never made before in my life. I tried to keep my groaning on the deep, low side of the spectrum, as Chelsey reminded me this would help me conserve energy, but I found that nearly impossible to do. I remember thinking that I sounded like a racecar engine revving up, starting low and quiet and gradually getting high-pitched and very loud. I alternated between long, hard pushes and short, grunting pushes, finding the former to be more effective.
I was shaking like crazy, which I was told was normal. I had actually started getting the shakes while watching the movie at home, at which point I thought I was just cold. I put on warmer clothes and fleece socks (which I continued to rock as a lovely accessory to my hospital gown), but to no avail. At the hospital, the shaking got worse.
Finally, at 5:46 a.m. and after 45 minutes of pushing, our baby's head emerged with one giant push. Another giant push yielded her shoulders and our baby was born. A flood of relief swept over me.
Having a baby was more drastic than I had anticipated. I could fairly easily have been convinced to turn to interventions had I not been in the care of a supportive birth team or if I had a longer labor.
I was able to walk (though a little bow-legged) out of the hospital the next day and have continued to recover rapidly. Most importantly, our baby is doing well and we’re enjoying every minute with our new bundle of joy.
And that’s my birth story.
Ruth and Jeff:
i had cramping thursday during the last few hours of work, came home, jeff and i thought it was go time so we went to walmart to get a few final things for the birth. then we got some food. came home, ate, cramping stopped. friday - nothing, felt normal, went to work, normal day as far as i can remember. saturday - cramping all day every 3 hours or so. it felt good to walk around during the cramping so that's what i did. had cramping during the night, but nothing too crazy. sunday - cramping all day, non-stop. went to church, had a very hard time sitting through sacrament. ended up standing during sunday school and RS and just swaying back and forth. it was crazy snowing here so i couldn't walk around outside and jeff has a meeting after church so i stayed and walked the halls for like 45 minutes. that seemed to feel good. came home, more of the same. intense non-stop cramping. no start and stop, no rhythm, just cramping. i was using a rice pack to help - and that was awesome. had cramping all night, up every 1.5 hours or so with more intense cramping and to reheat the rice pack. that thing saved my life. i was so tired and the cramping was so bad i didn't go to work on monday. it was bad enough that walking around or being out of bed was too much so i stayed in bed and slept as much as i could just in case the birth was about to happen - i wanted to be as rested as i could be. monday night, same story, cramping. tuesday - same story. didn't go to work due to lack of sleep and cramping. cramping seemed less intense tuesday during the day so i was able to shower and even wash my hair. it was the first time since saturday :) so i was feeling pretty good. i got dressed and jeff took me to walmart so i could get some things and just get out of the house and walk around. it was like 2:45 ish when i got to walmart. i started walking around fine but then was so tired/hot/crampy/strange feeling/etc that i was leaning on my cart for support. i had to take off my sweater and thought about sitting down and giving up on the walking business. it was odd. got back home, around 3:30 ish and i put the trusty sweats back on and laid on the couch with the life saving rice pack. i was just watching tv, hanging out, trying not to die (jk). jeff had to go to church to shovel the walk with EQ so he left. at 5:15 pm it felt like i peed my pants - but it wasn't stopping and i wasn't peeing :) i jumped up, grabbed my phone, and ran into the hall bathroom tub and just stood there. i didn't get ONE SINGLE drop on the couch or the floor - extra credit to me and the trusty absorbent sweat pants. i have NO CLUE why but i started bawling. i called jeff in a panic, crying hysterically, but lucid enough to lead with "everything is okay". i'm sure he bought that. the church is like one block away so jeff was home in like 45 seconds and was able to calm me down. i think there must have been some crazy hormone surge because i seriously have no clue why i was so hysterical. so then after i calmed down we called diane, our midwife, to tell her my water broke but i wasn't having any contractions or anything. i actually felt great. oh yeah - i seriously drained fluid for what felt like forever. it was like 10 gallons, at least! from here my timeline gets a little fuzzy - if i'm way off jeff can correct me - time flies when you're having fun i guess. the midwife and her assistant (who is a nurse) showed up at 6:30 ish... i was in the bathtub laboring at this point. contractions were tolerable and coming every minute, i think. the assistant, jennifer, checked me and i was 3 cm. i think she stripped my membranes at this point too... could have been later. i kind of forget. so i stayed in there a little longer - not sure how long. jeff was helping and pouring water over what wasn't submerged. it helped a ton! jeff was an incredible birth coach - seriously couldn't have done any better. so we were in the bathroom kind of doing our thing and the midwives were running around doing theirs. i wasn't concerned but i could tell they were moving very quickly. turned out they could tell it was going to be a fast labor since i was already at a 3 and contractions were so close. the warm water, deep breathing, and jeff really made it quite tolerable. it wasn't too bad at all to be honest. so after a while i started to get a little sore from being in the tub - big person, little tub - so i got out and moved to the bedroom. the midwives had everything covered in plastic and ready to rock and roll. i didn't see a whole lot - my eyes were closed during most of labor - but i saw they had everything set up in case of an emergency, oxygen, etc... so i laid down and since i was out of the water labor got much more intense pretty quickly. i was on my side, jeff behind me. with each contraction jeff would do some counter pressure on my back which really decreased the pain a tremendous amount. it was awesome. once they started getting worse the midwives were helping too - it made SUCH a difference. at some point during this process, maybe when i first laid down they checked me again and i was 7 cm. i forget when that happened though. so the contractions got really intense and i was making noise now and they checked me and i was ready to push. it was 9:30 pm. jeff helped me get up and get to the birthing stool. i sat down and they explained some things about pushing then with each contraction i pushed. it was kind of hard to learn how to push at first - so i had a while with pushing ineffectively - i guess it's just something you have to learn on the fly. jeff was a HUGE help here reminding me of all the things i was supposed to do to help. i pretty much was in a trance and not thinking at all. i was focused on breathing and that's about it. my eyes were closed and i was dead to the world so it was nice hearing jeff's voice tell me what to do. i had been pushing for a while and got very tired. i remember looking over at the bed and thinking... "i wish i could take a little break and nap for a bit". dumb, but it made sense at the time in my mind. i was really tired. between contractions i just dropped my head and rested as best i could. during my pushing the contractions were a little more spaced out - so that was nice, i had time to rest in between where earlier i really didn't. after i had been pushing for a while with minimal progress. i pushed just a few more times. each one was super effective and everyone was kind of cheering me on. then one final push and bam!!! we have a baby at 10:40 pm. head and body all in one awesome push. it felt incredible. i'll never forget what that push felt like. it felt sooooooo good to be done, to have an alert healthy baby, to have the pressure done, everything about it felt great! i had a huge surge of energy and the midwife, jennifer i think, put eve in my arms. jeff was in a chair behind me so we were holding her together and both starting laughing. i thought we'd cry but for some reason we were laughing. it was crazy! she was wide awake and jennifer said she was born with her eyes open. she was super alert, not crying, but breathing fine. she didn't need suctioned at all and had very little verenix (sp?) on her. she pooped right away, all over me :) she was great and 100% healthy. i was holding her on my chest and they put a towel over her to help her keep warm. jeff and i just hugged her. we didn't really know if it was a boy or a girl yet, i was surprised but i didn't even care. we looked and discovered she was a she. so we were holding her, snuggling, she was super happy. i think she tried to nurse a little and we were waiting for the placenta to come. jeff knows more about this part than me - i wasn't really paying attention. oh yeah - during pushing i was CRAZY sweaty - like dripping, best workout ever sweaty. jeff tried to keep me cool with washcloths and i was drinking tons of water. that helped a ton. so then after eve came out i got cold super fast. . so i started shaking, but not too crazy just yet. oh yeah - after the cord stopped pulsing jeff was able to clamp and cut the cord. eve and i are learning how to nurse. she's pooping, peeing and sleeping. jeff is doing an incredible job taking care of both of us and we are a happy little family! so that's our birth story. i loved every minute of it and would do it all again in a heart beat. it wasn't NEAR as painful as i anticipated. i think the 4 days of slow labor helped the action go super fast, so that was nice. all is well and we couldn't be happier with our little bundle of joy!
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