My pretty girl: The birth of Sofia Michelle

The next day I was back in the office being monitored for an hour. I found out I was having small contractions already but nothing bad, just felt like small amounts of nausea, like from menstruation. The doctor told me everything looked good but my pressure was the same so I had to come back the next day again.

Day three in the doctor’s office and the first day of my 39th week pregnant. Everything looked the same, and because the doctors office was so crowded that day, they sent me to the hospital to be monitored. A few hours later I was sent home, but was told I would have to be induced late the next day due to my gestational diabetes combined with my elevated pressure.  They were worried only because my pressure was the same and low my entire pregnancy and for it to go up for me was unusual, but the baby was fine.

The hospital was super busy that night so I didn’t get there until late on Saturday. They gave me some medicine overnight to try to start labor on its own, but it didn’t work.

Around 8 a.m. they broke my water and induced me fully. The contractions felt like menstrual cramps, but times a billion. I walked the entire time because sitting only made them worse. I finally gave into an epidural around noon, and was only 4 cm. Once I got the epidural, 2 hours later I was ready to push and the baby was coming. I pushed for 1.5 hours and could see the look on my doctors face.

I looked at her without her saying a word and told her I knew I needed a C-section, and it was fine, as long as the baby got out safely. I could tell everytime I was pushing that the baby was being held back by something. Before I knew it, nurses appeared from everywhere (I seriously thought they were coming out of closets) and I was on my way to surgery.

The C-section went very well and 20 minutes later at 4:59 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2nd, our beautiful Sofia Michelle was born. I guess the doctor showed her to me, but I was so exhausted I didn’t see her and asked my husband what she looked like. He went and got her and I got to see her for the first time. My first words to her were, “You are so pretty.”

It turned out that the cord was wrapped around her neck twice, which was inhibiting her from coming into the world naturally. I was wheeled into recovery, and after our families bugged reception enough, they were allowed in the room two at a time. I was very delirious and only remember bits and pieces, but everyone was so happy. I held Sofia and was terrified because my arms were still numb from surgery, but they told me it would be fine. Walking for the first time was horrible. I felt like all my insides were going to fall out of my body. But it was all worth it, and my husband was amazing through it all. After three days in doctors offices, an eight to nine hour labor, and four days in the hospital, we were finally a family of three!

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!