If you haven’t already read the first part of River’s birth story, make sure to check it out at the link below.
http://eatmovelivelove.com/2015/01/12/hes-here-baby-rivers-birth-story-part-1/
Now on with part 2 of the story!
It was about 5:30 am and on the ride to the hospital we called my in laws to come down to help with our son Noah. As we got closer the hospital, my contractions really started to get intense! When we parked the car I had to take my time to get through a contraction before walking to the doors. We made our way slowly into the hospital. The contractions were starting to build and get closer together. When we arrived to the Maternity Floor, we dropped off Noah in the waiting room to watch TV and made our way to the front desk to check in. They brought us into a triage room to determine if I was truly in labor (hospital policy).
We waited….and waited. My contractions were continuing to build. It felt like we waited for eternity in that room for someone to arrive. My husband says it was about 15 minutes but it felt much longer than that. I did not want to sit or lay in the hospital bed. It created too much pressure on my back. I preferred to lean over the bed with my arms to get through the contractions. It really provided a lot of relief with the pressure in my lower back. I remember telling my husband, “Where the HECK is the nurse?!?!?!” Ok….maybe those weren’t my exact words.
Finally a nurse arrived. She wanted me to get into the bed so she can put some straps around my belly to monitor the baby’s heart rate and contractions. I really didn’t want to do this but pushed through. Then came the long list of questions. Thankfully my husband stepped in and helped answer the questions. The contractions were so strong at this point that I did not have the ability to talk. I just needed to focus on one thing…breathing through them.
We learned that I was indeed positive for Strep B. This meant that I needed to have an IV of antibiotics during delivery as a precaution for the baby.
The questions continue and finally I told the nurse, “I feel like I am going to have this baby soon!” So she checked me and told me that I was at 6 cm. When she told me that, I was under the impression that I had a long way to go yet. My wish all along was to have a natural, drug free birth. I became very discouraged because the contractions were so intense at this point. The nurse left the room and I looked at my husband and said “I don’t think I can do this!” He was so encouraging and told me how great I was doing. Little did I know that I was in the beginning the transition stage labor; the most intense yet shortest stage.
Next thing I know there are 4 nurses or so at the triage room door with a wheel chair to bring me to a delivery room. They asked me if I felt like I could walk to the room. I was in the middle of a contraction at this point and asked to get through it first. Once it started to let up tried to walk but it was too much so they had me get into the wheelchair.
When I arrived to the room I was greeted by even more nurses and all kinds of equipment. They mentioned that my midwife had not arrived yet so the on call doctor would be assisting me with the delivery. Everything was so surreal and the contractions were incredibly intense. As soon as I managed to get into the hospital bed I was greeted by the doctor. I took a look at her and immediately recognized her. She was the doctor that I met with during my initial 8 week doctor appointment! I really liked her a lot! I would have used her for my prenatal care but she was part of a large network of doctors all over the metro area that share on call duties for Methodist Hospital. I was likely not going to have her as my delivery doctor. That’s when we made the switch to the midwives. It worked out perfectly that she was on call that evening. I felt very comfortable with her and she was so encouraging through the delivery.
She checked me right away and told me I was ready to go and could start pushing. The nurses rushed to try and give me an IV of antibiotics but were not successful. Within 5 pushes the baby had arrived at 6:11am! My husband yelled out, “It’s a boy!” With the whole experience being such a whirlwind, I forgot that we finally got to find out what we were having! He weighed in at 7 lbs 10.9 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. Thank goodness he came early. He would have been a big baby if I went another 3 weeks! When they placed him on my chest, I immediately fell in love! Talk about pure joy!
River had a lot of gunk in his lungs that had to be sucked out. Because his delivery was so fast, his lungs did not get the good squeeze babies normally get when traveling through the birth canal. He needed to have a little oxygen for about 20 minutes following his entrance. It was given to him in our room and dad was next to him the entire time while watched from my bed. Thankfully, he was not affected by the Strep B that I had.
I felt amazing after River’s birth. Nothing compared to how I felt after delivering my first son Noah. I think a lot of that had to do with River’s birth being drug free. River was also much more alert after birth and was able to nurse right away unlike Noah. My post-delivery recovery has also been incredible. The healing process happened so much quicker than it did with Noah. I am so happy that I was able to meet my goal of having a natural, drug free birth. Everything worked out perfectly and I am so grateful to have my beautiful, healthy baby boy!
Our amazing friend took some photos of River for us. Here are a few of my favorites. If you are looking for a great photographer in the Des Moines area, be sure to check out Stacy Harper Photography. She is amazing!
Now I am just enjoying every moment of my 12 week maternity leave. Thank you to all that have followed and supported me through this journey. I feel very blessed! Expect to start seeing more recipes, workouts, and more here at Eat. Move. Live. Love. I am looking forward to getting back into it again!
xo,
Heather
Emanate Yoga 