Bethany's Birth Story

It felt like I was in false labor all month. It was probably a combination of a mixed up due date (a 10 day difference) and that Bethany came 9 days "late". When I look back at when labor actually started, it was 6 days before she was born. I had early signs of labor that made me wonder if I was going to have a Christmas baby! I made it through Christmas and all the holiday festivities! On Tuesday, Dec. 27th I woke up at 4am with contractions 5 minutes apart and they continued to get closer and more intense. I called my amazing friend/doula and we were both ready to welcome my baby that day. We walked and walked and walked and then labor STOPPED. I was confused, discouraged, and frustrated. I was facing an induction which would have pretty much ruined my birth plan to give birth naturally and without any medical intervention and any pain meds. Some honest and tearful conversations gave me a renewed hope and my husband and I set out to the mall to walk stairs, enjoy an evening together, and take a step back from all that was going on in our life. That night I went to bed and woke up at 1:30 with a powerful contraction followed by another, but they were 10-20  min. apart but each time they came, I was jolted awake. Around 4am they were 7-8 minutes apart and definitely intense! At 5:30am I knew that this had to be it and so I got ready and woke up my husband and called my friend/doula. We got to the hospital a little before 7am and I was still smiling and walking with a spring in my step! After being checked in the nurse hooked me up to the monitors to see if I was really "in labor"....aparently I didn't look like I was in labor! She checked me and I was between 5-6 cm dilated!!! I was thrilled and so was my husband and doula! Today was the day! I was checked at 7:30 and then taken into the L&D room. I continued to labor fairly easily using the birthing ball, a relaxation CD, encouragement, and massage. At 9am transition hit me and I was no longer smiling! It was the most intense period of labor but it didn't last long...I think around 25 minutes. The pain and pressure I experienced was like nothing I had experienced before! No position felt good and it was so hard to endure the pain. I then went into the bed and labored there and they checked me and I was at 9.5cm....just .5cm away from getting ready to push! The last .5cm seemed to take FOREVER! It hurt so bad to endure the contraction and I felt the urge to push which made it MUCH easier to endure each contraction. The doctor was in surgery and the nurses didn't know if she would make it to deliver the baby. The pushing took longer than I expected, and I was getting exhausted. The doctor made it and I was ready to push the baby out since I was so tired and anxious to welcome our precious baby. After several pushes and contractions, I finally mustered the strength to push our my baby and the nurse told me to touch her head. That gave me the extra boost I needed to push out her shoulders and then our beautiful baby Bethany Grace entered the world! My hubby announced "It's Bethany!" and I was thrilled!! They laid her on my chest and I was instantly in love with a beautiful baby girl who has already given me so much joy! She instantly latched on to nurse and has been a pro nurser since the first latch! What a great blessing! She weighed 8lbs 3oz and 19.5in long. The pain of natural labor and birthing was so worth the reward of having a beautiful healthy baby. No jaundice, no issues, just a sweet little angel! My recovery has been better as well and I am grateful for my support system to get me through natural childbirth. Without my friend as my doula I would not have been able to do what I did. She was amazing and helped me in so many ways for so many weeks/months throughout my pregnancy with support, encouragement, laughing, and crying. I love her and am so thankful that she shared this amazing experience with me. My husband was so helpful and strong for me during this process and he continues to tell me how proud he is of me for making such a great sacrifice of pain for our beautiful little girl. My mom and all her prayers and encouragement and support were absolutely essential for me to get through everything. All my family and friends also were so supportive through prayer and encouragement and I am so thankful for the entire experience! What a great way to end the year...welcoming my beautiful Bethany! I was only in the hospital for 24 hours and then got to go home! Here are some pictures of Bethany Grace.