Aiden is officially 2.5 weeks old and I am finally getting around to writing about his birth story. Its crazy to think more than two weeks have passed since that amazing day, and I feel like all the details are already starting to get fuzzy! Being a first-time mom, there was so much about labor that I was unsure about even after researching online and talking to friends and family. Its just one of those things that you have to experience first-hand in order to really understand.
Leading up to my due date so many people asked me what my birth plan was; was I planning to deliver naturally (without meds), was I delivering in a hospital or with a midwife at home, was I planning to have a vaginal delivery or C-section…the list goes on. All I knew was that I was hoping to deliver vaginally in a hospital and that I wasn’t opposed to getting an epidural if I felt I needed it. So many expectant moms that I talked to throughout my pregnancy had different birth plans, some extremely specific and others more relaxed. Knowing my personality, I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I was already terrified of the unknown, and to put set expectations on something that I had no idea about seemed unrealistic for my own personal experience. I didn’t feel like I had anything to prove to anyone else, and it was very freeing to feel confident in my own decisions which my husband supported all the way.
My pregnancy was labeled high risk, due to conceiving through IVF and also some other personal health conditions. Therefore, I was under a lot of monitoring, which increased to 2 doctor appointments a week starting at 32 weeks. I didn’t mind all the additional monitoring, and even got to have a weekly 3D ultrasound, which I loved and looked forward to each time.
My due date was January 17th, and during the second week in December I went in for an OB appointment where they hooked me up to a monitor to track baby’s heartbeat for 20 minutes. During that session, they recorded 11 contractions in a row at regular intervals. My doctor checked my cervix and noted I was already dilated to a 1 and made a prediction that he was likely to come early.
On Christmas Eve he gave us our first labor scare! We were at Ryan’s parent’s house for dinner with the family and I started to have extremely painful contractions and lower back pain. It lasted about 45 minutes to an hour before it started to calm down. We waited a bit longer before heading to the hospital and by the time we were home and getting ready for bed, the pain had stopped, and we decided not to go in.
Over the next few weeks I had so much activity, and thought he was going to come at any time. I was having contractions, but they weren’t connecting completely for long enough. I was having lower back pain but didn’t feel like it was intense enough to be labor. It was honestly driving me crazy not knowing when he was going to come since all of this started so early in my pregnancy and it was all I could think about. At 37 weeks I was 1.5 cm dilated and I started drinking red raspberry tea and going on walks to try to help things along. At 38 weeks I was 2.5 cm dilated and he had dropped significantly. At that point, my doctor scheduled an induction (which was her medical advice given my health issues) for Sunday, January 13th at 9pm.
On Sunday, my husband and I spent the day relaxing, so excited and nervous for our trip to the hospital scheduled that evening. We had everything packed and ready to go, and our families all on call. My sister drove up from California to be with us throughout the process as well. However, at 4pm I received a call from the hospital that they were delaying my appointment because the hospital had an excess of deliveries that day and they had to postpone me until the following day. I know that probably doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I was so upset! Think about the rollercoaster of emotions leading up to that evening only to call it off for another day. It was torture!
The next day we went to the hospital at 2pm to check in. We went through the process, checked all my vitals, and finally got our room at 3:15pm.
At 4pm they started the induction process, which involved multiple rounds of inserting medicated gel, laying down for an hour, walking for 45 minutes, and monitoring for 20 minutes. After two rounds and around 10PM, they started me on a mild Pitocin drip and I tried to sleep as much as I could. At 7:20am, I heard a big POP and knew my water had broken. I whispered over at Ryan to wake him up and pushed the call button for the nurse. By 8am I was feeling extremely nauseous and the contractions started to become more painful. I started to get extremely nervous and almost panicked at this point, because it was starting to get real and I was fearful for the unknown that the next hours would bring. I started wondering if my baby was OK, how painful the labor would be, how long it would take, and so many other questions. Ryan was so supportive during the whole process, and I was so thankful to have him there with me the entire time. After breathing through contractions for what seemed line forever, I decided to get an epidural. The baby was sunny-side up (head down but facing up) which caused extreme back pain and I was having a hard time not fighting the contractions as they came. After receiving the epidural, I was able to concentrate more on letting the baby drop and breathing, and it gave me a little bit of confidence back.
I wanted to pause here and note that the nurses that I had during my entire hospital stay were amazing and so supportive. I felt like they had my best interests in mind, truly cared about me and Ryan, and listened to my concerns and wishes. Since the induction process took quite some time, the various nurses were rolling on and off shifts, but each one was truly amazing, and we felt very blessed. I was so happy that the first nurse I had when we checked in (Alicia) was the last nurse I had for my actual delivery. All the nurses that had been there throughout my process came to check back in with me and meet Aiden after he was born. Ryan and I feel extremely grateful for the positive experience we had and the people that surrounded us throughout our stay.
By 11am the pain had broken through the epidural and my nurse decided it was ready for me to start pushing. One thing Ryan and I did not expect was that he would be asked to hold one of my legs! It completely took him off guard, but he quickly pulled it together and stood there by my side as I pushed for 51 minutes. It was the most intense and amazing hour of my life (currently crying as I write this) and I can’t put into words how something so painful can be the best experience of my lifetime. Aiden was born at 11:59am on January 14th, perfect in every way. The doctor informed me that he had the cord wrapped around his neck twice but that they were able to get him out safely. When they brought him up for me to see him for the first time, he was so alert with these big almond eyes, but he wouldn’t cry for several minutes. It was making me so nervous, but the nurses assured me that he was doing just fine. When I finally heard him cry, it was such a relief.
After Aiden was born, they immediately put him on my chest where we had an hour of skin-to-skin time. It was the most precious moment of my life and he kept just looking up at me with these beautiful eyes. After the skin time, Ryan got to hold him for the first time. I never knew I could love my husband more until seeing him become a father in that moment.
After spending a couple hours with the baby, they transferred us to a recovery room, and we were able to invite our family in to come meet the baby. It was so special to see our parents and siblings hold him for the first time and we will forever cherish those moments.
We stayed in the hospital overnight and decided to go home the following evening. We were ready to be home and to start life outside the hospital. The next few days were extremely tough trying to navigate parenthood for the first time, but Ryan and I tackled everything together. However, one thing that I did not expect was how intense the healing process was going to be for me personally. I felt like my entire body hurt for all sorts of reasons and it was incredibly tough to focus on caring for a newborn and also caring for myself. I am thinking of writing a separate blog post dedicated to this topic, so stay tuned! As the days go by, things are gradually starting to get easier and I feel more and more like myself. I cant imagine life without our little Aiden and motherhood is even more wonderful than I ever imagined. I am so grateful for this blessing, and our little growing family.
