Stuck on you: The birth of Aria

I was scheduled to be induced at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30 (I was 39 weeks and three days) and was given three doses of Cervidil that night. I didn’t have “typical” labor pains—I felt it all in my back that night and into the morning.

At 8 a.m. on Wednesday, December 31, my doctor came in and broke my water, and that’s when the contractions started in my stomach. I was put on Pitocin. I made it until noon that day (19 hours after induction), but when they told me I was still only at 4 centimeters, I caved. I decided to get the epidural, so I could rest before I had to push my daughter out.

At 6:30 p.m. and four rounds of Pitocin later, I was still only at 4 centimeters. My doctor, who I love and trust completely, told me our baby was stuck. She explained that my frame was just too small to push her out—so we were going to have to do a C-section. I burst into tears as my husband and all of the nurses told me to cry and let it out … because our baby would be there in a matter of minutes.

Lying in the operating room was all so surreal. Before they let my husband come in, I kept feeling my eyes close and about to roll back in my head. Within minutes, my doctor was saying, “OK, we’re going to pull her out right now.”

My husband kept telling me not to cry, but as soon as I heard our daughter’s cry, I couldn’t hold it in. Soon I was bawling. I looked over at my husband, and he was tearing up. From that moment on, our lives have never been the same.

Send us your birth story! Whether you had a home birth, hospital birth, 37-hour labor or emergency C-section, we’d love to read the tale of your little one’s grand entrance. Write up your birth story (click here for tips on getting started) and email it, along with a few photos, to birthstory@pnmag.com. We’ll share it on our Birth Day blog and may even print it in an upcoming issue!