I have yet to string enough minutes together to put my beautiful birth story down in detail for others to read. It's an amazing story, though. I'll give you the cliffsnotes version followed by a little slide show:
- Noonish - Contractions started, but I had no idea that they weren't the same Braxton Hicks contractions that I'd been having for weeks. Went on with my day as normal.
- 5 pm - I started timing contractions, because I finally admitted to myself that they were quite regular and seemed to be lasting longer than usual (at this point, they were coming every 5-7 minutes, lasting 90 seconds - but I STILL didn't believe I was in labor).
- 6:30 pm - Texted Keely (our doula) letting her know I was having some activity. She offered to come over and I said no - there was no way I was actually in labor. I told her I'd text her before I went bed to let her know what was up. I kept insisting that it wasn't labor because these contractions didn't hurt!
- 7:20 pm - Texted Keely back and let her know that contractions felt a little "burny" now. She suggested I call Mike at work and give him a head's up. I was still in denial and didn't want to bother anyone. I really wanted to wait to let Mike finish with his client at 7:50.
- 7:40 pm - Had a little adrenaline rush with a powerful contraction and considered that this may be the real deal after all. Called Mike the second the clock changed to 7:50. Told him to come home soon. He came home quickly and called Keely to join us.
- 8:30 pm - Went for a walk around the neighborhood. Had to slow down and stop talking through contractions. Still smiling in between, though!
- 9 pm - Contractions got stronger, I was no longer comfortable staying in any one position for long.
- 10 pm - Headed to hospital, wondering if I'd be sent home because I wasn't in labor.
- 11 pm - Walked the parking lot at the hospital. Started to feel pushy. Still in denial that I was having a baby anytime soon.
- Midnight (June 8th) - Tried taking a bath to relax, didn't work. Back to the bed. Contractions were getting really intense, but I still didn't think anything was happening soon, as I wasn't in any sort of excruciating pain (like I'd expected with a natural child birth). I was tired, though, and a little overwhelmed at how fast my contractions were coming.
- 12:50 am - Felt an intense urge to push. Couldn't have stopped even if I'd tried. Water burst. Massive pressure. I finally thought, "I'm having a baby!"
- 12:55 am - Head out, shoulders stuck. After a gentle nudge from our midwife to release her shoulders, Layla was born into her daddy's hands less than 3 hours after we arrived at the hospital.
Our labor was so joyful. Mike and Keely held me up (literally at times) and kept things truly peaceful. The hospital staff left us alone almost entirely. No needles, blood pressure checks - nothing. I labored in my own clothes. Nobody touched me except to hold my hand while I was pushing. Our wishes were honored the entire time. I have the highest respect for our birth team at Willamette Falls Hospital. I had heard that they would support a natural childbirth, but I had no idea to what extent they were willing to do so. I truly feel like we had the best experience possible. I got to have the undisturbed home birth that I had dreamed of - but in the hospital. I'd do everything exactly the same in a heartbeat.
Here's a little video of our journey -
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