A First Time Mama’s: A 48 Hour Birth Story

My first birth was a mix of what I expected and did not expect. I wanted to have an unmedicated birth, spoiler alert: that didn’t happen. My first birth was a different experience entirely from my second birth story (stay tunned!). If you are expecting and are reading this, and you are so nervous to go through the birthing experience. Just so you know you are valid in those feelings and you will also kick butt when you do give birth. I was also glad that once we left the hospital I had everything I needed at home to welcome our baby boy. If you are unsure of what baby needs, check out our Favorite Links to get all your baby essentials. And so it begins…

August 3rd 2021 at 7AM, I woke up like every other work day and started to get ready for the day at 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant. This morning was a bit different. I woke up with a extreme headache which was rare for me during pregnancy. However, I went about my morning as normal. While I was making breakfast, I had a sudden sharp cramp that made me stop moving. It was not an awful pain just a pain that I hadn’t felt before. Then I felt liquid draining from me. I went to check what that was and saw a mix of bright red blood and mucus. All I could think was “I think it’s starting.” That was close to 8:30 AM. I proceeded to make breakfast and leave for work since I knew early pregnancy could take hours.

I got to work, still could not shake the intense headache. I went about my day as I timed the sporadic contractions. It was at this point I was in communication with my doula keeping her updated and getting feedback. Throughout the morning my headache worsen, and the contractions were strong enough for me to feel them and varied on the time they lasted and the length of time in between the finish of one and the start of the next. After completing my morning rounds the R&D lab, I decided I was going to take a half day so I could sleep and shake my headache. I cleaned up my desk, turned off my laptop, put all my stuff away, then told my manager that I needed to take half day. That my head was killing me, and I had to sleep. Oddly enough I was super tired too. He said sounds good. I left work that day around noon. The last day I would be in the building before I journeyed to my next step as a mother.

I got home and went straight to bed. I slept for 2-3 hours then woke up hungry. The contraction continued and were still all over the place. The rest of the evening and night continued as normal. My headache does not let up. To be on the safe side, my doula recommended i check my blood pressure to make sure it was normal since my head continued to hurt. Thank goodness my blood pressure was fine at 115/84, it was probably just due to my hormones preparing for birth. I ate dinner then showered for the last time with my belly and my baby nice and cozy in there. I drank ginger tea, ate protein ice cream and an apple while reading a book in bed. I then went to sleep. During the night I was quickly awoken to more uncomfortable contractions, it was 1AM on August 4th 2021. I laid there and started timing the contractions again. The pain was getting more intense and longer intervals of pain. As the minutes went by, the length of time in between the contractions got worse, By 3AM I got my Husband up so he could start packing everything into the car and prepping our dog for my parents to come and get him once they were awake. During the time he was running around with his pre-birth tasks, I continued to time the contractions, talk to my doula, and hang on the birthing ball. I was also on all four and moving my hips all around. Finally, I said lets go. It was 5:30AM, we got in the car for the most life changing event ever.

It takes about 20-30 minutes to drive to the hospital that we were going to meet our little baby boy. I was nervous but weirdly calm. Like thinking my body knows what to do. My Husband pulled up and let me out into the main lobby of the hospital; it was around 6:00AM on the 4th and pouring rain. We walked, yes-I used the stairs, up to the Labor and Delivery Ward. We checked in and went to Triage to see if they would admit me. I got dressed in the hospital gown and got hooked up to all the machines. They listened to your heartbeat and everything was turning out great. The triage nurse checked me to see how dilated I was. I was 5 cm dilated, go me, and they said I am going to be admitted. By 7:00AM I was admitted to the L&D Ward. I texted the doula and my manager to let them know we are being admitted. I walked into the room that we were going to meet my baby in, room 5.

They started to hook me up to all the monitors and place my IV in, for emergency purposes. The attending doctor came in who happened to be my OB/GYN, but she was about to come off clock at shift change. She checked my dilation and confirmed I was 5 cm and asked if I wanted my water to be broken. I declined. Once my doula got to the hospital, she had me sitting, laying, and moving in all kinds of positions to creating stronger contractions. This continued all morning and afternoon. As the morning and day went on, we watched the summer 2020 (but rescheduled to 2021 due to COVID) Summer Olympics so many positions to help engage my baby. The worse position that my doula had me in was side laying with the peanut ball in between my legs. That created excruciating pain and made me nauseous. By 2PM, I changed into my bathing suit and got in the shower. Most of my pain was in my back and hips. Running hot water on them helped a lot. So was the hot pack and squeezing my hips during a contraction. Some time close to 4:30/5PM the next attending Physician came in, she came and checked my cervix. I had not dilated any further. I was still sitting in between 5-6 cm dilated. I opted for her to break my water. I will tell you, once the water is broken the contractions are like nothing else.

I will tell you, once the water is broken the contractions are like nothing else. They are hard, strong, earth-shattering feeling. You whole body feels out of control. I was getting these strong contractions lasting longer and closer together with not much room for breath in between. At this point I could tell contractions start high on the uterus and work down in a wave like pattern. At the end of each contraction, more of my water would escape my body. It was difficult not to have the shakes; it was so hard to relax. I endure these contractions for a while. Contractions worsened. I was screaming/grunting every contraction. I could not keep going. I was so tired. I been laboring in room 5 with you for 12 hours at this point and in labor for almost 35 hours total, with little sleep. I asked for the doctor to check my cervix again since she broke my water to gauge the progress. After what seemed like forever, she came in and perform the check in between my contractions that were happening every minute. I was still around 5-6 cm after my water broke hours ago. I was not relaxed enough. Without hesitation I asked for the epidural, knowing it takes a good chunk of time to get that prepared.

My doula advocated agreed knowing I wanted a unmedicated birth, had said this was the right move you because I was tired, laboring a long time without progress and need to relax. After maybe another hour more of strong contractions, time at this point was meaningless to me, the anesthesiologist came in, sometime around 7 PM. Our sweet nurse allowed me to hold on to her as the anesthesiologist prepped my back for the epidural. Finally, it was complete and turned on. They moved me up on the bed. Then it was shift change for the nurses. Our sweet nurse said goodbye and is thinking of us and could not wait to see you in the morning. Our new nurse, equally as nice, waited until I was numb. Once I was, she placed the catheter that empties my urine. Weird I had a tube in my bladder; thank goodness I didn’t feel any of that.

Once settled my doula left to eat dinner. While my Husband was eating dinner that my parents brought him, and I was chilling eating my popsicle. Yes, as you could imagine I was starving. As time went on, every time I closed my eyes, I felt super dizzy. I called the nurse, and the anesthesiologist came back to increase my blood pressure. My pressure was actually normal while I felt dizzy; however, they used medication to increased my pressure back up to 130/84. That helped so much with how dizzy I was. Heart was beating faster than normal too around 114 bpm. I was in tachycardia. Anyhow, on my next cervical check, I was 10 cm dilated. I went from 5-6 cm to 10 cm in 2-3 hours, it was around 9:30PM. However, instead of pushing, the nurse said since this is my first baby it will take a while to push baby out. So, she sat me upright in the bed to let gravity help drop baby further down the birth canal.

I tried to sleep during upright. I was awoken because I started to feel contractions again. Apparently, that’s a thing; I was cutting off my epidural because I was sitting upright. The nurse came in gave me another dose of the epidural and I asked when am I going to start pushing. Her response was, “does it feel like I have to poop?” I remember looking at her puzzled and said no because I could not feel a thing with the epidural. Since I didn’t feel a bowel movement on the horizon she said it wasn’t time to push yet. So wait we did, my husband and doula both fell asleep, while I ended up watching the Olympics to pass the time. Next time the nurse came in, I told her I want to push. She again asked about the need to move my bowels and I continued to just say I want to push. She said ok, let see how you fair.

They laid me back and I bared down and pushed. All I heard was the nurse say… “ohhh ok now.” She got on her walkie/phone and said we were ready in here, it was around 12AM August 5th 2021. She started prepping the sterile field and the doctor was in a C-section and will come to me after. But I had to keep pushing. I learned how to push better and better with every push. I felt my baby’s feet up in my rib cage on the left-hand side, so every time I curled to push it was so distracting. Pushing at every contraction made my nose stuffy, so the nurses gave me oxygen so that I could keep up. They also kept checking for baby’s heartbeat to make sure he was keeping up too, and I kept pushing. Soon the doctor finally came, and they set up shop.

Doctor was prepped up. Seated front row and center and I kept pushing. Everyone was super supportive. They told me we were almost there; I was almost about to meet my baby boy. I thought that meant I was about to push baby’s head out only. But on the next contraction they told me to push one extra time, I felt intense pressure and relief, then a cry.

And just like that, at 1:29 AM on August 5th , 2021, my baby was no longer inside my belly, but on top of it. When we heard your first cries it was all unbelievable. My baby and I just did this. Our many firsts together. Mother and Son. He was so big and little all at the same time. I held him as he laid on my belly and the doctor removed the placenta and waited until the cord turned white showing the decrease in blood flow. She asked my husband if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord. He shook his head no; I responded are you sure and he said yes. She asked me next, and I quickly responded “YES.” I severed that connection between us; I cut the cord where for nine months I helped nourish my baby’s body into the newborn that was laying on me. It’s a magical moment to welcome him earthside. I suffered from 2nd degree tears which were snitched up. Then we cuddled in the golden hour. After 48 hours pushing my body in ways I did not know was even possible, I became a mom earthside.

Thank you for choosing me to be your Mama. Love you my little monkey.
Love, Mama