My birth story and all the good, bad and ugly that came along with it is finally ready for you to read! Giving birth to J has been the most empowering and wonderful time of my life. I had always heard of the joy that giving birth to your own child gives you, but I only truly was able to resonate with the saying once I did it myself. I already posted my Pregnancy Journey, previously, hope you enjoyed it. Now without further ado lets dive into my birth story! It may start off a bit boring but Baby J had plans of his own at the end!

A miracle is really the only way to describe motherhood and giving birth. It’s unbelievable how God has made us women and babies to endure and be able to do so much. A miracle, indeed. Such an incredible and joyful blessing.

Are You Coming or Not Baby J?

Every woman who is pregnant or has been has envisioned what their birth story will be like. Some women are terrified and some are cool as a cucumber, leading up to the big day. One thing is for sure, every birth story is unique. I was given a due date of September 1st by my doctor and as the date came closer it seemed as though J had no plans on making an appearance anytime soon.

If you read my Pregnancy story (if not then go check it out) then you already know that it went pretty smoothly, so to be honest as 40 weeks came closer, I wasn’t itching to have him due to any discomfort. I did want to meet my little one an hold him in my arms though, see his face and cuddle with this little human I have been raising inside of me!

My doctor’s appointments went from once a month to once a week at the start of 36 weeks. I hated having to schlep to the clinic and have my blood drawn every week oh and don’t mention the poking and prodding.

The upside of it was seeing Baby J on the ultrasound screen. I remember going to my 38-week appointment and was told that I was only about 1 centimeter dilated and had been for about 2 weeks, therefore, the doctor did not feel the need to do anything further and I was told to wait it out.

Playing the waiting game.

At my 39 week appointment, I was a bit more dilated but still not enough to head to the hospital or take any other action. I was told to come back to the office a few days for another check up if I had not already gone into labor by that time. So my husband and I went right back home a little sullen because we were anxious to meet our baby boy!

It was a Friday when I went back to my obstetrician and it also happened to be my due date! At this point, I was about 4 cm dilated and was told that If I wanted to I could go in for an induction the next day. My husband and I talked it over and we decided that we would head to the hospital the next day to be induced. The funny thing I kept being asked if I felt any pain and my answer was I feel nothing at all! I mean 4 cm doesn’t seem like a lot, was I supposed to feel pain, discomfort or anything? We headed home more excited than ever! We were finally going to get to meet J! So hubby headed back to work and I headed home to relax and enjoy my last day being home without the baby!

It’s Game Time!

Luckily, my mother had already come to stay with us a week before and what a godsend she is and was at that time! She literally cleaned and cooked for us the whole time. I have never seen my house cleaner, and I am a neat freak myself.

That night I texted my husband suggesting that we go out for one last dinner as a couple without a baby. As I was getting ready for my husband to pick me up just as I would on any regular day, I took a shower, got dressed, dolled my self up a bit and then laid down on my bed for a few minutes before he arrived. I proceeded to get up from laying down and I heard a loud POP!

I was a bit taken aback and I didn’t quite figure out it was my water breaking until a few seconds later. Immediately I shouted for my mother and she brought over a bucket because in my case my water did break literally and it wasn’t clear there was a bit of blood(I definitely didn’t want that on my carpet).

Hospital Time!

After calling my husband, and telling him to come home as soon as possible, I then I went into the bathroom to wash up. I was surprised but I was as cool as cucumber, I didn’t feel nervous, anxious or any other weird emotions. Call it motherly instinct but I knew that I was going to go into labor that day, I cannot explain it but I just knew.

My husband arrived home and we grabbed our hospital bags which I had packed a month before I was due. Ladies, definitely keep your hospital bag packed if you are going to have someone else staying with you at the hospital, in my case my husband, pack a bag for them too!

The worst thing you can do is wait until the last minute! I will write another post on everything I packed in my bag soon. On the ride to the hospital was the first time I started feeling contractions. Now most soon to be mothers are counting how far apart their contractions are and so on but I did none of that, nor was I asked for any of that information when I arrived at the hospital.

My Birth Story Comes to Life!

By the time we registered at the front desk and so forth it was already 9:30 pm by the time I was taken into a room. There I was told that I was already 6 cm dilated! What? How? That’s fast! By the time I was taken up to a room where I could start pushing I had advanced to 8 cm dilation! Oh and all this without an epidural or any type of medication.

Don’t get me wrong, I had asked for an epidural since the moment I got to the hospital but J’s heart rate was a bit erratic so the doctor told me that before I could get an epidural J’s heartbeat had to stabilize. Fast forward to 9.5 cm dilated, J’s heart rate was more stable and I was finally given my epidural! The anesthesiologist told me that the epidural would ease a little of the pain but not much due to the fact that I was getting it so late in the game. I didn’t care I wanted it!

That Pushing Though!

I often look back and wonder if I should have even bothered getting it at 9.5 cm? The answer is yes! Now, this isn’t meant to scare anyone, but pushing for me was by far the hardest part of this entire pregnancy/labor. Basically, every time you get a contraction, you have to push for 10 seconds and do this 3 times per contraction. Not only is it exhausting, but mentally thinking about what is going on down there was so overwhelming.

My nurse told me that for some reason my last push was always the best and usually it should be the first. I wasn’t screaming in pain as I thought I would be and through it, all Daddy Spice was by my side holding my hand and my leg! I have to say he looked so lost while everything was going on. There was one time I had to tell the nurse to “shut up”, I couldn’t stand her saying push anymore! I usually have a mouth on me so I was surprised that I didn’t utter any curse words while giving birth.

Finally, 5 hours after we arrived at the hospital Baby J made his appearance into this world at  2:20 a.m. on September 2nd, just a few hours after his due date! We figured out that his heart rate was erratic because the cord was wrapped around his neck. Luckily it caused no major issues and he was healthy and fit as could be! The nurses cleaned him up while the doctor tended to me. Hearing his baby cries made my heart so happy!

He’s Finally Here!

Unfortunately, I did have to have an episiotomy, which is a surgical incision used to enlarge the vaginal opening to help deliver a baby. I had a 3rd-degree tear and it wasn’t pretty. The pain was unbearable after the anesthesia wore off and I had to deal with it for about a month. On top of that, I developed hemorrhoids from pushing Baby J out, although they subsided a few weeks later.

Word of Advice:

For anyone who has had a bad episiotomy make sure you use the cooling pad as well as the lidocaine spray to alleviate the pain and ward off infection! Sitting down on the toilet is extremely painful, do it slowly and a SITZ bath will be your best friend in the days following your delivery.

I stayed in the hospital for the next two days and my husband and my mother were there right by my side!

Thank god for both of them. Newborn babies are unable to regulate their temperature, so J did have to go to the nursery for about 2 hours to be kept under a heat lamp. His sugar did drop a bit so we decided that we would go ahead and give him formula.

Those were the only two little hiccups other than that the whole process from start to finish went well. There will always be times where new mothers second guess themselves but I have come to realize that our motherly instinct is what we should follow.

Final Thoughts:

I’m often asked if I had a birth plan, and my answer is no. I didn’t feel as thoug I need one and do not regret it one bit. Pregnancy and childbirth is a time that a woman goes through many unknowns and I knew early on that I would not abide by a plan, I would just go with the flow and trust that everything would be okay, which luckily it was!

Being a new Mom has been one of the most overwhelming, emotional and most exciting times of my life. These last few months I’ve cried a ton, laughed even more and have learned a patience I never knew I even had. The love I feel for J continues to grow every single day and I’m amazed at what our female bodies can do and create.