Helpful Nurses, Birth Tub, Yoga Ball and a Birthing Bar…A Great Hospital Birth!

Friday May 11, 2012, I felt extremely exhausted. I decided to go to bed at about 9pm only to wake up two hours later when my husband, Kirk, crawled into bed with me.

My back was hurting more than normal and I couldn’t get comfortable enough to fall back asleep so I got up. For the next few hours I walked, rocked, sat and swayed and still my back was killing me. Throughout my pregnancy I feared the “dreaded back labor” that I had heard women talk about and now at two in the morning I was experiencing it firsthand.

I managed to scare Kirk a couple times that night because he didn’t realize I wasn’t in bed with him and woke up to see a shadow in the rocking chair but I think nothing scared him more than me telling him, “I might be in labor, but I’m going to call the hospital and get their opinion. Go back to sleep.”

I called the hospital at 2am and sure enough they said I was most likely in labor. While I was trying to explain what I was feeling to the nurse I started crying. Instantly she asked me if I was scared and my response was, “I cry when I’m tired and I can’t stop it! I’m not scared!” Before I hung up she asked me what Kirk was doing and when I told her she was sleeping she laughed and said, “Wake his ass up!” After that I was sure it was going to be a fun day.

At 3am I told Kirk I was almost positive I was in labor and that I was going to take a shower. He groggily muttered something before I left the room. The poor guy was so tired I wasn’t sure it registered what was going on. To my surprise, he was awake when I got out of the shower. Not only was he awake, he was sitting on the couch, fully dressed and already wearing his shoes and backpack. I wanted to labor at home some more but by then the back pain was terrible and Kirk convinced me to head out.

At 5am we hopped in the car and the funniest thing happened. The car was dead! While he freaked out I laughed my big pregnant butt back into the apartment. We eventually got a jump and made it to the hospital before 7am where they checked me and I was at 4cm.

Just arrived at the hospital

I labored in a tub for a good while and had been progressing nicely. After that I moved around a bit and labored on a yoga ball that a very helpful nurse found for me. Kirk and his mom took turns rubbing my back during the home stretch and at 9 cm the doctor broke my water. That put me at 10cm which meant it was finally time to meet our baby.

On the yoga ball

Transition

Let’s not lie here, pushing hurts. It hurts a lot. I cried and yelled that I couldn’t do it and that I wouldn’t do it. I had a hard time being stuck lying down, but the contractions made it impossible to flip onto my knees. The nurse pulled out a birthing bar and that was exactly what I need. I pulled myself onto it and before I knew it the doctor came rushing in. Kirk was excitedly telling me about all the hair on the baby’s head, then that the whole head was out, then shoulders and then he told me that we had a girl!

We both cried as they set her on my chest and I remember feeling the most amazing sensations of love and other emotions. I naturally birthed Amelia on May 12, 2012 at 11:39 am. She was 7 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long. Later that day the night shift nurse told me that the day shift nurses couldn’t stop talking about how amazing I did. I was one proud and tired mama.

 First seconds of life

Happy family

My beautiful breastfed girl

Amelia is a thriving little girl and neither of us can imagine our lives without her.