My Birth Story
When I first got pregnant I was going on blog stalking rampages reading all about other people's pregnancy and how their birth went. I really liked reading the labor and delivery stories because I really had no idea what to expect. I really loved reading the posts all about how some women were in labor for days and didn't know it or just the opposite, their water breaks and they rush off to the hospital. Everyone's pregnancy and delivery experiences are different. I thought I would share mine with everyone, for myself and for my family to remember and for anyone interested!
Okay, so I had been super upset since week 37 that my little love had yet to arrive! My mom went into labor early with all of her pregnancies so I just assumed that the same would likely happen to me...not the case. I know that she was still baking and staying healthy inside her cozy little home, but the impatient side of me wanted to meet my baby girl. I felt like I had been pregnant my entire life and by the end of pregnancy, every day begins to feel like the longest day of your life. You are anxious and excited and just want to meet the little human you have been growing for over 9 months. Everyone started having their babies and I was discouraged and bummed that I had not yet met mine because I thought I would have to be induced. I had read tons of first time mommies needing to be induced and my pregnancy hormones took charge every day that she didn't come and I would cry thinking I wouldn't go into labor on my own. I wanted to experience the Oh my gosh this is it moment when you realize you are just hours away from meeting your little baby. Well, each week passed and eventually I began to accept she would come when she is ready. Despite many efforts to try and get her here on my own. PS...castor oil is a lie. Everyone told me it wouldn't work, so naturally I took nobody's advice and tried it anyway. It didn't work and I spent a great deal of time in the bathroom. Of course, I am the most brilliant person on the planet and chose to drink castor oil hours after having Zack make me a Cayenne Pepper water bottle drink. So I downed the spicy cayenne pepper drink & then thought, oh hey, let's go get some castor oil? I am an idiot. This castor oil fiasco was all during week 38 I believe. I gave up all efforts during week 39 except sex and walking & even those things didn't work. By the end of week 39 I was over it and just excited for Thanksgiving.
My mom's boyfriend is an amazing cook and had planned our Thanksgiving dinner weeks in advance. I was excited to spend time with family and just eat and be around people I loved. Zack's parents were planning on coming over and sharing the holiday with my family and we were all going to stuff our faces. So the night before Thanksgiving, the 26th, my mom and I went and got our nails done after Zack and I helped her at her store for most of the afternoon...we went to get our nails done pretty late in the evening, around 6:30PM and Zack went over to my mom's to hang out with my brother and my mom's boyfriend while my mom and I did our nails and some last minute Thanksgiving shopping. The man who did my nails was a complete asshole & thought I was going to go into labor right then and there. He was disgusted by the fact that I was basically 40 weeks pregnant and getting my nails done. I think he thought my water was going to break right there haha. So we finished our nails, ran to pier 1, and then ran back to my mom's house to set the table for Thanksgiving. Zack and I finished up helping my mom set the table while her boyfriend started on the food. Zack and I went home and went to bed immediately.
We woke up on Thanksgiving morning hanky pankied and hung out in bed before getting up and getting ready for the day (sorry I have to be honest for memories sake haha, who knows if that helped jump start labor). We got up, Zack let our dog out to go to the bathroom and while he was taking him out I slowly started feeling like I had period cramps. I ignored them and figured it was just braxton hicks which happens after sex and walking and tried ignoring it...I mean who really goes into labor on their due date...? I tried making coffee and would have to stop every five minutes and hold my stomach for about 30 seconds because the cramping was so bad. I was still in denial, but after this happened for about 25 minutes I texted my mom. She said, I think you're going into labor. I was in denial, I had big plans to eat that day and definitely didn't think she would show up on her due date. So my mom texted my doctor as I went on a walk with Zack and our pup to see if the contractions subsided. They didn't and they were about 2-3 minutes apart lasting about 45 seconds. I had showered before the walk, came back to the house...put on a little make-up to try and buy time and see if they subsided and they didn't. My doctor suggested we go to the hospital. Zack and I brought our dog over to my moms and by this point I was not even able to breathe during the contractions and I felt terrible back pain. We drove up to the hospital and I was checked for dilation. I was still only 2-3 cm, which was no different from my last doctor's visit that Monday. They gave me a gown to walk around the hospital for a bit to get thing progressing. Well I didn't do any high speed walking and even walking slowly was too painful so I ate in the cafeteria really quickly, as much as I could stomach and walked around a bit more with Zack and my mom and then went to get checked for dilation again. At this point, I almost felt my contractions were coming on less frequent and I felt I would be sent home. Turned out I was still only 2-3 cm dilated and so I was sent home. There was some traffic because it was Thanksgiving so it took us around 20-25 minutes to get home. I was home for 5 minutes and in the downward dog position on the couch to try to get her to flip her back away from my back. I was having back labor because she was posterior and every contraction made me feel like throwing up. After about 5 minutes in this position and sitting on the couch with Zack...we heard a pop and then I felt like I started my period. MY WATER BROKE! Then the pain got serious. I felt like my tailbone was going to fall off. I was bawling! Zack ran upstairs to grab my mom and we got ready to go back to the hospital. I was so bummed because I thought I would definitely go into labor within the next 24 hours, but I thought I'd get some Thanksgving dinner first haha!
We got to the hospital and I was crying. My contractions were much stronger and the back labor was MURDERING me. I was bummed about that because I spent my entire pregnancy getting her into the correct position to avoid back labor, looks like it didn't work! They admitted me again, saw I was in pain and put me straight into the labor and delivery room. They tested to see if the fluid was my water that broke and it had been. I was in a trance at this stage. My eyes were closed for the next two hours as I was trying to get in a position that didn't hurt. This was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. For anyone who said they are like bad period cramps must've not had back labor. I finally chose a rocking chair to sit in and would rock back and forth and I didn't scream or freeze up during my contractions I would just breathe super heavily and try to think about breathing instead. I took Bradley classes so I did not get the breathing training that some moms get, but it came naturally at the time...so I don't think you really need breathing training!
Throughout my entire pregnancy I always said whatever happens, happens. Of course I had certain concerns like, obviously I didn't want an Internal fetal monitor and like many moms I wanted to make sure I could avoid a C-section. I know life happens and I didn't want to be too dead set on anything. I knew I wanted a vaginal birth and I wanted to experience labor, but I was more than open to getting an epidural throughout my whole pregnancy.
After about 2-2.5 hours of laboring in pain in the rocking chair I couldn't do it anymore. I was exhausted and crying and in so much pain. I wanted an epidural. I got the epidural and felt like a new person. I was still able to move my legs and I had a button to push with the option of adding more pain killers to the medication. I never touched the button because I didn't want to be drugged out, I just wanted some back relief. I was still able to feel contractions and knew when I was having them...I just wasn't in excruciating pain anymore. I wouldn't trade the decision I made to get an epidural for anything. I was able to move my legs, feel contractions, everything. I was so happy I chose to do it.
During labor I had been checked pretty early on and had dilated to 4cm. They checked me late at night, I don't remember what time and I remember them saying okay you're 10cm. I was like WHAT?!?! Really?!?! Shortly after we got everything set up to start pushing and I only pushed for about 20-25 minutes and she was here. I was looking at the clock in between every push trying to make it before midnight...if I was gonna go into labor on my due date I wanted to have her on my due date!
Elba Rose Sedillo
Born November 27, 2014
at 11:52PM
weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces
measuring 18 1/2 inches long
Our perfect daughter
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