Early arrival: The birth of Carter Blake

It was a hot September day in Kentucky when I unexpectedly went into labor with my second precious little man at my mother’s house. I had been anticipating the arrival of my sweet Carter Blake for nine long months. My first pregnancy wasn’t as tough as this one, so when everything started happening it was a surprise—from going into labor at 32 weeks and being successful at keeping him in for a few more weeks.

But on September 14, I was actually having a good day, not having any contractions or little pains, so I decided to take my son to my mother’s house to spend the night—just in case I went into labor. And, boy, was I in for a surprise.

I had been praying to God that if I were to go into labor, let me know for sure that my son was on his way. Oh boy did he listen to my prayers because after not even two hours at my mother’s house my water broke … three weeks early!

I was in totally shock and so was everyone else. We packed everything and everyone up to head to the hospital to get this long labor started. I knew it was going to be a long labor due to my son being sunny side up, so I got comfortable.

I hadn’t started having contractions yet, so my doctor decided to put me on a Pitocin drip after getting my epidural, which only took the contraction pain away, not the pressure. That’s when everything started going down hill.

My blood pressure started getting dangerously high, and the baby’s heart rate was dropping dangerously low. After being tossed and turned a number of times, in one hour I went from being dilated 3 centimeters to 10. It was finally time to start pushing, so I could meet the second love of my life. Two hours of pushing later—and with a little help (from an episiotomy and a vacuum), I gave birth to my precious boy.  

From the look on my doctor’s face, I knew something was wrong. My precious boy had his first bowel movement while I was pushing and swallowed some of it. He came out purple and not breathing. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to expect. I kept thinking, Was I leaving with my new baby, or I was I leaving empty handed? A pediatrician rushed in and yelled for a crash cart. My heart dropped. 

I just wanted someone to tell me that my baby was going to be OK. After what felt like an eternity, my precious baby started breathing, and I finally heard that cry that I had been praying and begging God to let me hear. I was finally a mother of two, and my heart couldn’t be any happier. I was the happiest woman on earth. I finally had everything my heart desired, a loving husband and two perfectly healthy and happy boys! 

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!