January 29th at 11:20 am I was a little over 37 weeks pregnant when suddenly my water broke; shocked and afraid, I quickly past it off as a possible urine leak. I remember a wave of emotions coming over me, emotional because my journey with pregnancy was about to come to an end, and nervous and scared because I was well aware of what was about to happen… Birth. There is only one way out with a natural delivery, and I was scared to say the least.
My Experience Of Childbirth
So what does a scared, pregnant woman in labor do? Well, you are supposed to call your doctor and head to the hospital, but for me, I decided I wasn’t ready. So I waxed my eyebrows, took a bubble bath, did my hair, packed my hospital bag, and ate an IN and OUT cheeseburger, all while leaking fluid. I just wasn’t ready. My due date wasn’t for another two weeks, and my husband was scheduled to come home from Afghanistan in 10 days. With much convincing I agreed to go to the hospital, but only if I could drive. I blame this behavior on my pregnancy hormones that decided to cloud my judgement that day. Everything I did was not safe for myself or for my baby, so I recommend just going straight to the hospital if you find yourself in the same situation.
I finally was settled into the labor and delivery. My water did break, but I wasn’t dilated, so I was put on Pitocin. Six hours into the Pitocin and only dilated to 2, I was in the worst pain. They gave me an epidural at 4, but because my blood pressure dropped, I was taken off of it. Now there’s no turning back, and it was all natural from here on out.
It didn’t help that my baby was in the posterior position often referred to as “Sunny Side Up” instead of face down, so the hardest part of his head was resting on my lower back instead of my belly. This position often results in longer labor and causes intense back pain. Labor is hell. You’ll come to realize that every woman has a story, and it’s usually scary to say the least. If you are one that has yet to experience childbirth, please don’t let this scare you, there are some women who claim to have an easy and pain free experience with it all. Personally, I don’t see how a baby weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz., who’s head was so big that I actually asked for an episiotomy (instinctively knowing he was not going to fit) — I don’t know how on earth could this could possibly be easy or pain free, but hey, that’s just me!
They say labor tends to be much longer with your first child. This had to be true for me, because the whole process took 29 hours with two and a half of it spent pushing. I did find the pushing part to be a little bit of a relief. Finally seeing the light at the end of tunnel, I was no longer scared and more then eager to be done with all the pain and meet my little human.
The best advice about childbirth I was given was that when the baby come, and you see that little face, the love and joy that comes over you is like nothing you will ever experience, it’s almost euphoric. 29 hours of what possibly felt like hell on earth was over and I was overjoyed and filled with LOVE. I felt like I was the only person in the world who had done this. I was overwhelmed that I had given life.
I am a mother, to a 7lb.12oz. baby boy who we named Michael Joseph. All the worry and all the pain was gone, and what, during labor, felt like the worst day of my life quickly changed to the best day of my life. A day that I will remember as not only my son’s birthday, but as the day I became a mother.
I might have gave my son life, but I feel as though he has given me new purpose and meaning to my life. He gave me the title of Mother, and I will forever cherish that title.
Marisa — Mom of Mikey
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