Hello there!
It’s been a while... but let me tell you why. Jonah is here!! As you know, every birth story is unique and special. I have always found them interesting and I am excited to hear other women’s tales of labor and delivery. But today I’m sharing mine. I’ll start with the day before I went into labor. I was 38 weeks pregnant and 6 days, definitely feeling it. I went on Thursday to my weekly follow up with my Doctor. I told her I was contracting a lot that week and She checked me and told me that baby was positioned and I was 1 cm dilated, she told me It could be a long and slow labor process and that we may have to induce labor. Or it could be a very quick and spontaneous one. I told her that I had a feeling he was coming sooner than she thought. And I was right!
I had simultaneous contractions throughout the night and became suspicious the next morning that labor may have started. But the Contractions weren’t consistent and stopped mid day. That night, Friday July 28, I took a warm bubble bath with my son Noah and then put him in bed.
Around 9:54 pm, I got up to use the bathroom and I felt a leak on my underwear. I told Tim and I tried to lay down with a pad for half hour and see if something else came out. I kept leaking but wasn’t sure if it was my water or pee. Around 10:20 pm contractions started and they were 3-5 minutes apart and lasting 40-50 seconds. I didn’t wanted to go right away to the hospital because I was afraid of being sent back home.
At 11:15 pm, I took a warm shower again to help with the contractions and shortly I started getting ready to head to the hospital. Contractions were 2-3 minutes apart so I knew I had to go.
We arrived at the hospital at 12:20 am, they started my paperwork while I was on the waiting area. One of the nurses saw me very uncomfortable and she decided to check me while paperwork was being done. My contractions just kept getting stronger and consistent while I was with her. I was mentally prepared for a labor just like Noah, so I was already asking for pain medication. Nurse said because i wasn’t admitted yet, I couldn’t get any medication. My contractions were frequent and intense. The nurse began going through what seemed like a million questions. I was anxious to bounce on the birthing ball or take a bath (again), but the contractions grew very intense quickly and by the time she was done with all the questions I was requesting (or maybe begging?) for an epidural. Finally, She realized I needed to get checked to see how far I was In dilation cause I kept feeling like pushing on every contraction. So she went out to get the doctor. In those 5-10 she took to get the doctor, the contractions became more and more intense barely any breaks in between, my water finished breaking and that’s when I knew Baby was ready to come. I started pushing the red button for assistance but no one was responding. 4 nurses and 2 doctors showed up to check what was happening. I keep telling them I felt like pushing and they finally checked me. The nurses and doctors were surprised that I was fully dilated, because it had only been in for an hour since I arrived. So they rushed me to a delivery room, started getting everything ready for me and my fiancé to deliver our son. I remember clearly the Doctor telling me “on your next contraction I need you to start pushing”. And that’s what I did. After 3 pushes, our son was here.
I remember being very shaky when they handed me Jonah. He was so small and so perfect. He was born at 1:40 a.m. Just 1 hour and 20 minutes after we got to the hospital. He weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and 30 cm long. Jonah is the perfect addition to our family.
PS: This may sound crazy, but I’m happy I got to experience the beauty of birth. No pain medication, just going by with the contractions. It was intense but definitely worth it.
Thank you for reading Jonah’s birth story.
Fresh 48 photos by Sueannette Photography .
