Kade's Birth Story

Be Advised: This post contains graphic baby birthing details and may not be suitable for all readers.


Am I in labor yet?
On Thursday, April 15th, I went to the doctor for a weekly OB check-up. The doctor checked my cervix, and found that I was dilated to 2 cm, and about 80% effaced. After my appointment, I started having a lot of irregular contractions that lasted through the rest of the weekend. By late Saturday night, I thought for sure I'd go into labor before Monday. When I got up Sunday morning, however, the contractions stopped and I felt fine.

I was supposed to go back to the doctor the following Thursday, but I was afraid that she'd check my cervix again and get things stirred up right before Brock's baptism, so I rescheduled my appointment for the following Tuesday, April 27th. With all the contractions I had been having, I thought for sure I'd made significant progress by then. I was at 3 cm. Whoop-de-doo. I went home feeling depressed.

On Thursday, April 29th, Justin had his office staff over for lunch on the patio. He took a few of them on a tour of the property aboard the "Mule", and I went along for the ride. Immediately afterward, I lost my plug. Excitement ensued.

I was still having frequent contractions, but they seemed to occur mostly when I was sleeping or resting. Once I'd get up to walk around, they'd stop. Friday, April 30th, Justin and I went on a quadruple date with his brothers and parents. We drove to Columbia for some spicy Mexican food. I thought for sure that would do it. I was wrong.

Saturday brought more contractions, but again not terribly regular or intense. Then Saturday night, I woke up at midnight with some real whoppers. I started timing them and they were coming every 5-10 minutes. By 2am, I was up gathering some last minute items for my hospital bag, and debating whether to wake Justin or let him sleep a few more hours. I waited 'til 5am and then decided to take a shower and get dressed, then I'd wake Justin and have him take me to the hospital. Once in the shower, however, the contractions stopped. I completely lost it. I was so tired and frustrated and annoyed that my body was toying with me like this!!! I got ready for church and then went back to bed.

I woke up just in time to go to sacrament meeting. While sitting on the bench, I started having contractions again...good ones. I tried to time them, but I kept getting distracted by rowdy children on the bench next to me (go figure). The whole time I was debating whether it would be okay to just go in to the hospital and get checked. Would they send me home? Would they think I was stupid for coming in when I wasn't really "in labor"? What if my water broke at church? Then I'd really feel dumb. I walked out in the hall to get a drink and use the bathroom. The primary secretary saw me and asked if I would be able to help out in the nursery. I decided right then that I'd rather go to the hospital and get sent home than try to entertain nursery kids while having contractions...irregular as they might be. I grabbed Justin, asked my parents to take the kids home after church, and we left.


Making things happen:
The whole way to the hospital, I was second-guessing myself. My contractions weren't regular enough. They weren't strong enough. They were going to send me home. Of course, I kept remembering that I felt the same way when I went to the hospital with Eden and I ended up being dilated to a 9. It could be the same this time, right? Maybe I'm having more contractions than I realize. They might let me stay and have a baby today.

I walked up to the obstetrics desk and told the triage nurse I thought I might be in labor. She asked if this was my first baby. When I told her it was my fifth, she said with confidence, "Okay, I believe you. You can stay." She took me to the triage room to check my cervix. I was 4 cm dilated. Grrr... Not cool. She asked me if I wanted to have the baby today and I said yes! So, she stripped my membranes and sent me on a 45 minute walk. "Walk like you have somewhere to go!" She said. Justin and I left the room, and with me in my hospital gown looking like I escaped from a mental institution, we went hiking. We hiked to the nearby high school and back. I felt like I needed a shower by the time we got back. The nurse monitored my contractions another 20 minutes and then sent me on another walk. We walked for about 35 minutes and then she checked my cervix. 4.5 cm. Are you kidding me? Still optimistic, the nurse deemed this "cervical change" and admitted me to the hospital. She gave me a birthing ball, showed me some squats to do to have "gravity help" and every once in a while she'd strip my membranes again and really get the contractions coming.

As the evening dragged on, I was making slow but steady progress. The contractions were coming regularly, and getting more intense. I was still quite comfortable, listening to my hypnobirthing tracks on my ipod. I really found the whole process enjoyable, but worried that Justin was getting bored. It was getting late, and he had work in the morning. I debated whether or not to have the doctor break my water. I knew that if she did, I'd get done faster, but I also knew that labor would get a lot harder. Around 11pm, I went ahead and asked the doctor to break my water. Then things really did get intense.


"Natural" Childbirth
I've delivered 3 of my 5 children "naturally", meaning no epidural. (Twins were a scheduled c-section) I've prided myself on the fact that I have "easy" deliveries. I have been known to say that "childbirth does not have to be painful". It's "what our bodies were made to do". It's really an "enjoyable experience". I lied.

My first two "natural" deliveries, I totally cheated. I had Nubain piped into my i.v. with Brock, which was great. Totally took the edge off the pain, and helped me relax. Loved it. Then with Eden, the hospital didn't have Nubain, so they gave me Morphine. I HATED that!!! It made me completely loopy. I was falling asleep between contractions and too tired to even open my eyes to look at my baby once she was born. Never would I do that again! Nope. This time would be different. Totally natural. Totally perfect. Like I said, I really quite enjoy the whole labor process. I like feeling the contractions, feeling my body work...until about the last 30-45 minutes or so.

Once my water was broken, the contractions were intense, and I was still doing fine until I felt the urge to start pushing and the nurse said I wasn't fully dilated yet. I needed to push, and was trying not to, and I suddenly lost control. Through my head I kept thinking, "why did I think I could do this?!" I felt like I was moaning and screaming and doing all those things I swore I'd never do. After all, "I was made to do this...childbirth does not have to be painful". Well, it was. It hurt like a son of a gun, and although I'm glad I experienced it in its rawest form, at the moment I swore I'd never do that again!!! Kade's head was halfway out, and the doctor wasn't in the room. I stopped pushing, and audibly yelled, "There's a head coming out of my body!!!" Justin told me afterward, he had to bite his lip trying not to laugh. At this point, my body was shaking, lurching, vomiting a baby. He was out in two pushes and the doctor plopped him onto my belly. I was still too shaky and shocked to really smile, but I was certainly relieved to have that part over with.

So, at 12:10am on his due date, Kade entered the world. I'm glad he waited until May 3rd. It just sounds better than May 2nd. Don't know why. I nursed him for the first time within an hour of his birth. I was fascinated at how he just seemed to know what to do. He latched right on without a problem and drank deeply. Then he sneezed twice and I thought it was just too cute to see him sneeze for the first time in his life. So tiny. So sweet. So perfect. I am so happy to have this new little son in my life. He is simply beautiful, and makes our family feel complete.