I've been waiting until the right time to write our birth story- for the fog to lift and for the story to become clear again. I knew I wanted to write it out, but have been soaking up just being a mom and taking her all in. I think about this day so often. It truly was the best day of my life. The most incredible thing I have ever done.
So here it goes...
I stopped working a week before my due date. It was increasingly hard to move and walk and breathe. I was cranky. Looking back on the photos before I went into labor- my belly was HUGE!
We had made it to the safe zone, she was allowed to come any day. Our doula had returned from her vacation and was ready to go! I prayed everyday while she was gone that I wouldn't go into labor 😂
I had my final midwife appointment on Wednesday, April 10th. Everything was going smoothly still, right on track. I wasn't dilated or effaced any so I asked her to strip my membranes to hopefully get things going... that put me immediately at 3cm and 75% effaced. I went home to rest and walk, and do all the things to get this show on the road. I was so done and ready for her to be here. For the next few days I felt pretty bad. Tired and mild cramps.
Friday the 12th was our due date. We were scheduled for a non-stress test and ultrasound at the hospital that morning. One of the midwives saw me in triage after to check to see if there was any progress from Wednesday. Nothing. Most of the day came and went with nothing eventful... oh I should note the Thursday excitement...
Thursday our washing machine broke... go figure. 40 weeks pregnant, waddling through Home Depot picking out a new one. Can't have a baby without a washing machine. Never a dull moment.
Friday we went to bed really early, unsure of what the night would bring. I woke up around 3:30am with some cramps. I tried to time them to see if they were anything to note. I still wasn't sure if what I was feeling was real labor or not, and wasn't quite sure when one contraction started and stopped. By 4:30am we contacted our doula and decided to call the midwife. We ended up going to the hospital around 6am. They got me into triage and hooked up to monitors. But after 2 hours of monitoring, things had stalled out and they sent me home.
The minute we pulled into the driveway something changed. The contractions intensified and I felt pretty sick (totally normal). Our doula had gone home. It was just the two of us in foreign territory. I tried to get in the shower, sat on the toilet, swayed my hips- anything for relief. But it hurt. Really bad. I started to spiral and panic. Luke called our doula and we all agreed we needed to go back. I couldn't speak- only try to breath through it, so I knew this was active labor, but I also couldn't find the strength. Fear snuck in and I started saying things like "I need drugs", "I can't do this". My preferences were to do it drug free, in the natural birth center at the hospital. This is what we had prepared for.
We got back to the hospital and thank god there was a wheel chair by the entrance (we didn't go in the main doors- we went up to the correct level of the parking structure and walked in lol). Sweet Luke was carefully pushing me down the walkway where we met with our doula. She is such an incredible woman. An immediate calm washed over me and she helped me get to a place of peace where I could deal with the waves of labor. As Luke continued to slowly push me- she sweetly told him we needed to step it up 😂 Fortunately we were just in triage so it was a quick experience once we were back. I was moved to the birthing room in no time and went immediately into the warm tub (~10am) where I worked through contractions for the next two hours. It felt amazing to float and completely relax.
Let me just talk about our A+ team for a minute... We had our midwife- the sweetest woman in the world. She was the first midwife I met with when I switched practices, and now here she was about to deliver our daughter. Our nurse was amazing- we couldn't have had a better nurse to support us and monitor our girl as she worked her way into the world. And our Doula. I don't even know where to start- I can and will sing her praises until my dying day. She supported us and taught us things that we wouldn't have had or known otherwise. She helped us keep it together and we labored together, one minute at a time. "You can do anything for a minute"
Oh, and the natural birth center at Beaumont Royal Oak? TOP NOTCH. It was like being in a luxury hotel 👌🏼
Labor was the most incredible experience. I'm not sure what to call it, some may call it hypnotic, but I was able to get my head to a place of peace and strength. I moved through each contraction with ease and surrendered to my body's natural ability to birth our daughter. I was no longer scared. I was surrounded by so much love and support and warmth. I knew I could do it. My eyes were closed most of the time and I took comfort knowing that the pain was productive and that there was an end. Time went by really fast for me. Luke was so amazing. He was right there for me the entire time. Gently touching me and allowing me to lean on him and squeeze his hand as things intensified.
The worst part was changing positions. Which was necessary to help me finish dilating and effacing. Each change triggered a very strong contraction. And let's face it- once you find comfort in a position and find your groove it's hard to leave that place. I probably changed positions about 6-7 times around the room. I remember asking to switch positions several times because where I was wasn't comfortable- I was always met with "let's do three more contractions here"... which usually turned to 5 or 6, much to my dismay. But it worked. By 2:30pm I was feeling ready to push. In fact, my body had started pushing on its own- so we decided to focus all my energy there. My water hadn't broken yet- they were waiting for it to happen with each push. As soon as it did (and what a mess it made!), Our midwife said she could see so much hair! I remember them all cooing over the top of her head and quietly chatting. I kept my eyes closed and focused on getting her out. I pushed for about 45 minutes and out she came! I reached down and pulled her onto my chest and finally opened my eyes. I did it. No drugs. I felt like superwoman. I still feel like superwoman when I think about it. It was the most incredible high- I was on cloud 9. Our sweet daughter, Evelyn Mae was born on Saturday, April 13th, at 3:14 in the afternoon. Weighing in at 9lbs 5oz (!!) and 21.5 inches long. She was born with her hand across her face on her cheek which is what stalled the labor early on. But all the position changes fixed that and moved her down the birth canal. Everyone was shocked at how big she was! So perfect in every way. We left the umbilical cord attached to her until all of the blood was in her body and it stopped pulsing. I also asked to leave it attached to her until I birthed the placenta- which we got to check out and learn about from our Midwife once it was out. So cool! The "recovery" period is short with a natural birth. I only had to stay in the bed for two hours afterwards to monitor my vitals and make sure the uterus was shrinking properly. They did give me a shot of pitocin to get ahead of any excess bleeding- this was protocol for most of the midwives. Also protocol- the hep-lock IV- I couldn't wait to have that removed (they never had to use it).
We were so overcome with love and awe. Our sweet Evie- the most amazing accomplishment of our lives. She was so expressive and alert right from the start. But so calm.
It's funny- you just kind of know what to do. You spend 9+ months wondering what it will be like once this little baby is here and worried about whether you will know what to do. Luke immediately took to being a dad. He held her like he'd been doing it all his life. Changed all the diapers, and fed her the formula. We decided to introduce the breast and bottle right from the start- and we are so glad we did! (I think I'll do a postpartum post too) Our Doula left after a few hours (which flew by) and we were left to our own devices. Thankfully, the next nurse was just as amazing as the first and supported us through the next 12 hours. We spent the next hours in a beautiful fog; tending to her every need and learning about her.
We only stayed in the hospital for a little over 24 hours by the time we were discharged. And that was plenty of time- we were so ready to go home. We survived our first night and spent Sunday going through the motions and taking care of all the paperwork and necessary tests. We allowed our family to visit during the day to help pass the time (we weren't sure if we were going to allow visitors at the hospital. We wanted that time to be just the three of us- private and intimate). So many emotions as we watched our family and my grandma meet her for the first time.
We finally got home around 8pm Sunday night. Tracie was still at the hospital and gave us the sweetest send off (she took a million photos and made sure Evie was properly strapped into her carseat 🤷🏻♀️).
Once we were home we introduced her to Izzy right away. Izzy gave her some sniffs and was very curious/excited. It took her a few weeks to really get used to her. She got a little nervous when visitors held her- even sometimes when Luke held her. She would always try to jump up and check on her- but she doesn't do that anymore. I think we immediately went to bed when we got home. The second night was hard- especially for Luke. We were exhausted and the high was naturally wearing off. She was fussy, trying to figure out life on the outside. Breastfeeding was hard and we were worried she was hungry all the time as we waited for my milk to come in. I needed sleep so I could heal. We had her in our room in her bassinet, which kept us awake- she is a noisy sleeper! So many grunts and wiggles lol
But I've never felt so in love and complete- the three of us. (and Izzy too)
I would do labor and birth over and over again. I didn't love pregnancy and the first 4 weeks with a new baby is not a cake walk... But more on that in a later post.
Our lives are forever better. Our Evie is the coolest tiny human in the entire world.
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