An unforgettable moment: The birth of Aaron

On the morning of Monday, April 18th, 2011, I woke up and saw that Ihad bloody show. I also had back pain contractions the whole day that were irregular but increasing in intensity. I shopped, took a walk, had some dinner, and at 7 p.m. when I went to bathe my daughter, my water broke! My contractions started to pick up and my back pain worsened. I called my OB and went to the hospital at 8:30. I was hooked up to the monitors and then my blood and urine were tested. The doctor wanted to verify that my water did indeed break and did a series of tests. The tests were positive—my water had definitely broken.

I was started on an IV for antibiotics (I was Group B strep positive) and for fluids in case I wanted an epidural. Nothing was changing, I was 2 to 3 cm and 25% effaced. My OB wanted me started on Pitocin to get things going. I debated getting an epidural right away because I know how intense contractions can be on Pitocin, but I decided to wait and see how things went. I used the birthing ball, a dark room, relaxing music on my iPod (Enya, Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan), and a warm rice bag on my back while my husband applied counter pressure. I got into a very good place where I could control my pain. I used the visualization of a rose blooming to control the pain. My contractions were getting very intense and hurt badly, but they were short so it was manageable.

I lasted 4 hours without an epidural until I was 6-7 cm and 100% effaced. I was shaking uncontrollably, exhausted and nauseated, and obviously in transition. My big mistake was going to the bathroom; it completely got me out of my zone. I got unhooked, had to turn on the lights and walk and by that point I could not manage my pain anymore. At 2:30 a.m. I got an epidural. It took about 30 minutes and hurt, but I was definitely happier afterwards. I apologized to my OB for waking her in the wee hours. She checked me when she arrived at 3 a.m. and found that I was 9 cm. I was not feeling anything but pain and pressure in my cervix and that was because my baby was ready to arrive.

The staff got me my mirror and I watched the whole thing. It was amazing! They placed him on my chest, I kissed and talked to him the whole time and he began to cry. So sweet. He nursed when he was only minutes old.

The whole thing was absolutely perfect. I will never ever forget that moment. I would not change a thing.