Birth Story – Mila

Our daughter took her sweet time getting here. In the weeks leading up to her due date, she was comfortably settled inside me and my body seemed none the wiser that she would soon need to come out. I had very few Braxton Hicks or contractions and I felt relatively normal except for my limited lung capacity. I tried every trick in the book during my last week – eating pineapple, bouncing on an exercise ball, and even awkward pregnancy sex (sorry mom and dad!). The contractions didn’t come.

Luckily, during my 39th week, my doctor scheduled an induction date. He’s been an OBGYN for many years and explained that in his experience, the risks of going over 40 weeks weren’t worth it – THANK GOODNESS. I am somewhat of a control freak, and I was terrified that my water would break at the grocery store or during a meeting with one of my clients.

On Valentine’s Day, my husband and I spent our last night as just a two-some. We went to the mall and ate at our favorite Philly Cheesesteak place. We watched Frozen to calm our nerves. My mom was staying with us so that she could be there for the birth of her first granddaughter and I couldn’t help but blurt out to her all the things that I was so nervous about. She let me know it would be okay and she is never wrong.

At 9:00 PM, the hospital called and told us to come in for the induction. Brian and I were pretty silent in the car ride over from the nerves. My hands shook as I filled out the paperwork. I have an intense fear of hospitals since I spent so much time in them when I was little. A bit of PTSD.

They started me on a medication to begin the induction and tried 4 times to put an IV into my arm. The IV was the worst part of the entire birth. About an hour after the medication started, I felt the unmistakable pains of contractions. They felt like giant waves in my stomach and back and they came about a minute apart. It was arguably the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my whole life. They told me I could have the epidural whenever I wanted, but for some reason I held off for about four hours.

LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE. If you are planning to get an epidural, don’t put it off. Once I had the epidural, I was able to sleep, relax, and enjoy my last hours with my husband – even if it was from a hospital bed. I dilated slowly, so my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit for awhile.

I was only at a 3 and the nurse casually said “I’ll come back and check you in an hour.” However, when she came back I had progressed to a 9! My sister-in-law (who had left the room to give me some privacy while being checked) left her backpack, keys, and purse and assumed that she’d be able to come back in within minutes. But it was time to PUSH!!!!

The nurse wheeled in a terrifying cart full of medical instruments. My advice? Don’t look at them.

With Brian holding one leg and the nurse holding my other, we started doing some practice pushes. Mila had her feet in my ribs, so I was having a hard time catching my breath. After about three practice pushes, the nurse laughed and nervously said, “Ahh, we better go get the doctor…”. The doctor came in and after about 8 pushes in 20 minutes, Mila was being put on my chest. I didn’t feel her come out except for a lightening in my lungs. When I first got pregnant, I thought about having an unmedicated birth. An epidural is a very personal choice, but I’ll say that I am a big fan. I remember being in shock when they put her on my chest. My hands stayed frozen and outstretched and I couldn’t touch her for a minute. Brian cut the cord and our little family was created. I didn’t instantly feel like a mom, but this tiny human was ours and I loved her so much.

You never know how a birth will go, but in my case, I built it up to be a terrifying experience in my head. Do what you can to educate yourself about your options, but stay positive and flexible.