My Story

So, I have had a lot of people asking about my birth experience, so here it is.

As posted earlier, I had decided on Hypnobirthing as my method of labor and delivery. It is a wonderful concept that teaches you to relax and work with your body when laboring. The idea is that labor is natural and when we let go of fear and tension, our bodies are able to labor much easier. I had spent months practicing so I would be in tune with my body when the time arrived.

I went into labor sometime Saturday night, although I did not know it. All I knew was that sleep was impossible; I spent part of the night on my labor/exercise ball trying to sleep (FYI: that doesn't work). I finally got up around 8 am on Sunday and got immediately into the bathtub, thinking that would help me feel better. That brought me to my senses and I realized I was having contractions. I am aware that "false labor" is common, so I didn't believe I was truly in labor for some time. Still, I called my sisters in Idaho and Colorado to let them know. They both were on the road within hours.

Around 10:30, because of a recommendation, I began timing my contractions. They were 7 to 8 minutes apart, and regular. By the afternoon, they were closer to 4 to 5 minutes. By the late evening, I was entering active labor. The early hours of Monday took the constant help of my mom, sister, and sister-in-law. Around 5 am my contractions had been about 2 minutes apart for some time and took all my concentration. We collectively decided that I was very close to delivery and so we finally went to the hospital.

I was admitted and taken to my room. The nurse checked me and I was only at about a 5. This was very discouraging. I continued to labor until about 9. They checked me again and said I was at about a 5/6. Nothing was happening. It was at this time I started to suspect something was wrong. I had now been in labor for over 24 hours.

I began contemplating an epidural. I knew something was not right. We talked to the doctors about my options. When I was checked for the baby's position, they were unable to tell his position because his head was so swollen. At noon, I got an epidural. Because I wanted a natural birth, I received a low dose of the epidural. I felt much better about this as I could still feel the contractions and still felt involved.

The doctor broke my water to help speed up the labor. This whole time I was very focused on the baby's heartbeat. I was terrified that because of the long labor and his swollen head that he would go into distress. After I had the epidural the doctor told me he expected the baby to be born around 2pm.

I was checked at 2pm and was at a 6/7. Then I was checked again at 4pm -- maybe a 7/8. Finally, At 6 o'clock I was told that I could start pushing if I wanted. Yes, I wanted! Unfortunately, the doctor had FIVE other women who were also delivering. The hospital I was at is very quiet and rarely has ONE women delivering a day; this was a weird phenomonen. I was the first women in, then the other five came, labored, and delivered, and finally there was still me. :)

So, because the doctor was so preoccupied, I rarely saw him. I pushed from 6 to 8:30ish with only my labor team and a very devoted nurse. It was very hard work, and when the doctor finally saw me, the baby had not descended at all. I was heartbroken and so worried about little Johnny. All of us were thinking the same thing: C-section. It was the last thing I wanted and had made everyone promise not to even mention the word. We were all thinking it.

Then the miracle. The doctor so quickly and skillfully pushed the baby's head back up into the uterus, turned him around, and brought him down into the birth canal. It all happened so fast and everyone burst into tears. I was going to give birth without C-section!! After 3 more contractions, and pushing, Johnny was born! Even the nurses were stunned!

If I had not had the epidural, the doctor would not have been able to turn him. I would not have been able to bear it. Johnny was posterior and would not descend past the pelvic bone. I would have had a C-section.

Am I grateful for my Hypnobirthing practice? Definitely! I was able to stay relaxed and in control the whole time, and was in a state of mind to make difficult decisions rationally. I would not change one thing about my experience. And I would definitely recommend it to everyone! I don't know what would have happened if I had gotten the epidural early on Sunday. Because I progressed so slowly, they probably would have given me pitocin. Then, because he was posterior, the harder contractions might have caused him distress, putting me back in the path of a C-section. This is pure speculation, but I am so grateful for my hypnobirthing preparation.

I have had to make some difficult decisions in my life. You know, the ones which test your very core and make you dig really deep. Deciding on that epidural was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was harder than the labor. It was something I desperately didn't want to do, but felt so strongly that I needed to.

Just so everyone knows, I pass absolutely no judgement on any women's labor and delivery! We all do what we feel is best, and that's what's important. In the end, we all want a healthy and happy baby!

I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father who watched over me, and took care of me through the hands of his daughters and just the right doctor. I will never forget the experience I had bringing Johnny into the world. It will bind us for eternity. I am so thankful that I was allowed the privilege.