Let me start by saying that I think much of the labor experience is due to luck, and I believe I was SERIOUSLY lucky to have the experience I had. Of course we spent A LOT of time preparing, and the thirty-eight hours of childbirth preparation class should not be discounted, but when I hear about other birth stories it's obvious God had mercy on me on Miss A's birthday.
When I woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 7th I knew Adelaide would likely be born that day. I was definitely excited as I was ready to get this show on the road and meet our little girl! In the days prior I had tried a number of things to get the ball rolling...acupuncture, having my doctor "sweep" my membranes, evening primrose oil, eating a pound of pineapple (no exaggeration, I seriously ate a POUND of pineapple), and bouncing on an exercise ball at my desk at work (yup, I dragged an exercise ball into an office building up to the 10th floor). So when I woke up with unmistakable contractions, I was prrreeettttyyyy excited! We were fortunate to have gotten a good night's sleep and I was thinking it could be the perfect set-up for a super fast labor experience...you know, one where I labored for 6-7 hours, and Adelaide arrived by noon...just in time for me to have my turkey deli meat sandwich from Mr.Goodcents along with a mimosa for lunch, HA! My body had other plans, but I wouldn't change the experience we had one bit. Even though I labored for seventeen hours, my body knew best and I emerged on the other side of labor untraumatized and with a healthy baby girl - what more can I ask for?
Active Labor and Dealing with Contractions
I really didn't know what to expect since what women experience in regard to contractions can be all over the board. My contractions were...difficult, but manageable. If I had to describe them I'd say they were like really intense menstrual cramps that became more painful as the day progressed. I never had to deal with back labor, and some of the toughest women I know have said their contractions nearly made them black out from the pain, but that wasn't the case for me. The pain was never out of control unbearable, and I think that was just the luck of my labor experience. The nurses and doctors also said I have a very high pain tolerance, and for that I was thankful. Two things helped me the most in dealing with the contractions: the exercise ball and Chris's coaching. I can't imagine what I would've done without the ball - I used it in every location during every stage of labor; our home, the ER entrance, the triage room, and the labor and delivery room. It was absolutely essential. Chris's coaching was also imperative. With almost every contraction Chris would tell me that I was almost done and that soon I'd be able to rest, and he was right every time :) Being reminded that the pain would pass and being told I was doing a great job was more helpful than I ever thought it would be, and it was exactly what I needed to hear.
One thing I think made a difference was my attitude about the contractions. Rather than fighting the pain that each contraction brought, I "rode the wave" of each contraction and really tried to lean in rather than fight it. We learned in the Bradley class that deep and low groaning can help with pain management, and I found this to be helpful as well when the contractions became more difficult during the afternoon. I really focused on the fact that contractions were an inevitable part of Adelaide's birth - telling myself that each one brought me closer to meeting her. These are the things I found to be most helpful in dealing with the pain of the contractions.
Transition
This is where I really feel like I lucked out. Transition is notorious as being the most difficult stage of labor (but also the shortest), and luckily I think I had maybe fifteen minutes of Transition. Our birth instructor had told us that transition would be the point at which we would most likely consider an epidural, and that the pain may be so intense it's not unusual for women to vomit. Thankfully, I didn't have that intense of a transition, so I never felt the need to have an epidural; it maybe lasted 15 minutes and then it was time to push.
Pushing
Pushing was definitely the most tiring part of the labor experience, and I pushed for over an hour. I began pushing at 7:55 p.m., and Adelaide was born at 9:08 p.m. One of the reasons it took so long was because my contractions spread out during this phase, so for me it really was true that I took two steps forward and one step back with each push. That was a blessing and curse because I appreciated the rest between each push, but it made this stage take much longer. This stage was different then I pictured; there was a lot of down time where everyone in the room just stood around shooting the breeze because I'd push for a minute and then we'd all sit there and twiddle our thumbs for 5 minutes. During pushing everything felt really big. and there was a lot of pressure. I don't know how else to describe it. Chris has said watching me push was the most difficult part of the entire experience as he could tell it was difficult from the exertion on my face each time I pushed. The nurse and doctor were SO encouraging, and they definitely did a great job of coaching me through each push. When Adelaide was finally born, it felt really big, but relieving at the same time. I specified in our birth preferences that I didn't want an episiotomy and instead I wanted to allow my body to naturally tear....and tear it did. I ended up with a second degree tear (the most severe is a fourth degree tear), and an unknown number of stitches. Tearing was one thing that I was somewhat anxious about, but when it all went down I didn't feel it actually happen. Our birth instructor said that we probably wouldn't feel it because there is so. much. pressure. My understanding is that the pressure on the perineum from pushing basically numbs the entire area naturally, and I have to believe that is what happened. My recovery from the stiches wasn't bad either. The first few days I was wishing I had one of those inflatable donuts, but it wasn't nearly as scary/awful as I thought it was going to be. Praise Jesus for jumbo size ice packs, witch hazel pads, and ibuprofen!
Meeting Adelaide
When Adelaide was born and I heard her cry, my first words were "Oh my God! Oh my God!" I could hardly believe I was finally meeting our little lady, and it was so relieving that labor was finally over. They immediately checked Adelaide's breathing and after they confirmed she was doing well they put her on my chest to cuddle. She was SO alert and curious - it was mind blowing to me that she was in my body just a few minutes prior. I just kept staring at her and telling her how much we loved her. She looked perfect, and I'm pretty sure Chris and I just gazed at her with curiosity and admired each of her features for quite some time.
Alert and curious, just taking it all in :)
Loving cuddle time.
I can totally see how labor could have been scary, but thankfully I never felt really afraid. I really think the Bradley class helped relieve much of the fear I had about labor. We knew what was normal versus what was not and we were mentally prepared for it. Labor is a huge unknown until you're in the thick of it, and it really helped my logical mind to go in armed with a lot of facts and information.
Looking back, the entire birth process is truly amazing and mind blowing. I really think that some of the most solid evidence of God's existence and complete control over creation is the fact that you and I are alive at all. Birth is such a delicate process, and at every single step of the way it seems like there are a hundred things that could go very wrong, and when it doesn't, it truly is a miracle. Another reflection...isn't the female body A-MAZING? Can I get an Amen? Birth. It's a miracle.
We're so thankful to have had the labor experience we were hoping for, and I know our experience isn't for everyone. Whether your ideal childbirth experience involves an epidural, a C-section, a home birth, or a medication free birth in a hospital...I hope you get to do it in whatever way that's ideal for you. Each woman will have her own ideal birth experience, and this just happened to be mine.
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