Well, house plans went on a bit of a hold because our sweet Sadie Rose came into the world on March 3. Grant stayed home for two weeks and he officially went back to work this Monday, so its up to me to tackle these poopy diapers now. I sat down at the computer today and went down memory lane, remembering what it was like to be pregnant. Just two and a half weeks ago, I didn’t know that I had a sweet baby girl dwelling inside of me.
So, because I love reading other women’s birth stories and I don’t ever want to forget the subtle details of mine, I wanted to put Sadie’s birth story into writing. So here ya go:
It was March 2, Grant and I had just got home from a birthday party and got ready for bed and we were going to watch a movie but nine o’clock on the dot hit, and contractions started. I remember thinking, these feel a bit different than anything I’ve felt before? A mix of anxiety and happiness started to settle in as we decided to start timing the contractions. Could this really be it? Would I really get to meet my baby soon?
I had contractions for about two and a half hours but they were spread out and sporadic, but they began to get closer. 16 minutes apart. 9 minutes apart. 2-3 minutes apart. Meanwhile I texted my family, and gave them a heads up that I thought I was in active labor, and my sister suggested that I take a shower to see if the contractions stalled at all. Still the contractions remained 2-3 minutes a part, lasting for 30-60 seconds. I labored until 3 A.M. and my contractions were still 2-3 minutes apart, lasting for 30-60 seconds. I did not have much down time between contractions and the whole idea of sleeping between contractions, or packing for the hospital between contractions, flew right out the window. Grant and I were both so confused. All of the books said to follow the 5-1-1 (5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute, for 1 hour). THEN MY WATER BROKE. I may have watched one too many YouTube videos of people giving birth in the car, so these haunted me a bit. So I yelled to Grant, “OH MY GOSH, ONCE YOUR WATER BREAKS, CONTRACTIONS SPEED UP, AND MY CONTRACTIONS ARE ONLY 2-3 MINUTES APART!!!” So, Grant sprinted upstairs, tried to pack some last minute things into our bags, tried to find my pants, and thus set in his slight panic, “WHAT KIND OF PANTS DO YOU WANT?! WHERE IS YOUR SHAMPOO?! WHAT SHOES DO YOU WANT TO WEAR?!” Meanwhile, I am mid-contraction thinking, shoot he has to remain calm or this is going to be one chaotic mess. I have never seen Grant “frantic”. . . until that day. So he came running downstairs and I said to him, “Whatever you do, I need you to remain calm.” He took a deep breath and we calmly both walked past my puddle of water laying on the floor, hopped in the car, and headed to the hospital. We called our midwife and doula and they both said it was our choice if we felt the need to go to the hospital, but they didn’t sound worried. So, I called my backup doctor-AKA-my sister, and she stated that her contractions were all spread out for all three of her births and that I may still have lots of labor ahead. So, we turned around and headed back home.
Do you think I got out of the car? No. I put that Jeep seat in full recline and geared up to labor in the garage. After an hour and a half in the garage and driveway, Grant’s gas light went off. Well, the teacher in me, always having to be prepared, told him we NEEDED gas, no exceptions. So, we headed off to Speedway at 3:30 AM and filled the tank, meanwhile I am praying that I magically would need to go to the hospital in the midst of the full tank fill-up. Much to my dismay, we headed back home. This time, I went inside and labored for about an hour or so until things got significantly more painful. Then we headed to the hospital. At 5 A.M., I was three centimeters dilated and I was happy to hear that I had progressed a little. A few hours in, the nurses and my midwife thought I was having back labor, because my contractions were double peaking, and I wasn’t progressing much. My goal was to get through labor naturally, and this slow progression didn’t help my internal state of mind. However, I remember thinking, “Can it really get much worse?” Grant specifically recalls the determination that he saw in my eyes, as each hour and contraction passed. I did feel determined. I know it was because of prayer and because I had prepared my mind for nine months. Grant and I did a 12 week long course called, The Bradley Method, that was taught by our doula. That class was instrumental in helping us prepare for this whole birth experience.
By the way, I wish I had a sneak peak video of Grant during my entire labor process. I could cry just thinking about it. He was my biggest support and encourager. He locked eyes with me, time and time again and breathed through the contractions with me, I have never felt closer to another human being, it was beautiful.
Then, after an amazing position suggestion from our doula- (JEANETTE ALBRIGHT- Look her up and book her, you won’t regret it), contractions sped up and I started pushing. I tried pushing standing up, pushing laying down, pushing over a squatting bar, I tried it all. An hour and twenty minutes later, adrenaline was pumping and all I remember was someone saying, “You can grab your baby!!” and that ladies and gentlemen is literally the moment that our lives changed forever. Tears staining everything, Grant and I held on to each other and our baby. We were both in awe. In the midst of all the excitement, we forgot to check if it was a boy or girl and Grant was the one that got to shout it out. We both were frantically searching for the body part when he yelled, “IT’S A GIRL!!!”
A girl. Our beautiful, chubby-cheeked, mop-headed, little baby girl. We will never be the same, Sadie Rose. Mommy and daddy may gain a few extra wrinkles from the lack of sleep, but oh how we would do anything for you, wrinkles and all.
House projects will pick up soon, but for now, we are going to enjoy as many baby snuggles as we can before these fleeting moments are forever gone.
P.S. I always knew that my parents loved me, but I never realized to what extent that was or how deep that love truly, truly was, until we had Sadie. UGH IT’S JUST ALL SO BEAUTIFUL. BRB, going to get my Kleenex for the 100th time this week.
XO
Jenna