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Birth Story of Mila Rose

July 25, 2018 by Rachel 25 Comments

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Part of me wanted to write this while it was fresh in my mind. I had jotted down bits and pieces just after delivery but I somehow failed at getting it all out coherently. Perhaps it was all too raw to put into meaningful sentences at the time, but I’m finally ready to put pen to paper.

Although this would be my third baby, I was terrified of labor and delivery. In the days and weeks prior to my due date, I kept giving myself pep talk after pep talk. I stayed hydrated. I made lists. I did everything I could to make this a smooth process. But the fear of both previous deliveries weighed heavy on my mind.

A little recap if you’re new around here: Ari (my first) was a 24-hour labor with intense vomiting and dehydration. I ended up getting an epidural at the 23rd hour and finally dilating from 3cm to 10cm in a matter of 60 minutes. Remy (my second) was the most incredible labor process: I was able to speak in between contractions and felt fine without any pain medications. But when it came time to push, I felt like I was going to die. I ended up pushing her out drug-free and very quickly. 

Like previous pregnancies, my due date — June 16th — came and went without fanfare. I awoke at 1 am on Tuesday, June 19th, with some painful contractions. I readied myself for a long day by trying to sleep in between, but it was difficult.

But that’s good, right? That meant it was real labor!

So I called my mom at 7 AM and let her know that I was up most of the night with contractions. I was sending Chad to work for the day so I told her to go ahead and go in and I’d call her later, too. She had a 5-hour drive ahead of her, but I had a friend locally that would be taking the kids until she arrived.

Around 2:30 PM or so I let my friend Kerry know that I needed her to come and get the kids. The kids were picked up and Chad arrived home a few minutes later. He went upstairs to lie down for a bit and prepare for a busy evening of baby-birthing!

I finally decided to call my OBGYN and let them know about my contractions. They had been between 3-8 minutes apart since 1 AM and I was finally getting the constant “I have to poop” feeling. The office urged me to come in right away since my contractions were so close together, so I woke Chad up after only 10 minutes.

When we arrived at the hospital at 4:30 PM, triage checked my cervix. I was only 2cm dilated. Not surprising, considering my history of not dilating until the very last minute. I communicated that to my nurses. They basically ignored me. I was told that they would admit me under the pretense of knowing that if I didn’t begin to dilate further within a matter of 2-hours, they would take measures to help induce labor.

I gave them the answer they wanted to hear at that point — “Okay.” But I very much discussed with Chad that if they tried to break my water or give me pitocin, we would decline. I was still going for my epidural-free delivery and any interventions of the sort would have caused me to have more pain before my body was ready.

So I was admitted to my room and continued to labor with increasing intensity. I tried the birthing ball and walking, but I just couldn’t get comfortable. The only way I was making it through my contractions was by standing up and leaning on the counter in the room. Chad tried cracking jokes a few times and I shut it down immediately. This was hard labor and I was not up for the jokes.

Every contraction felt like I had to push. Several hours of this feeling and check after check revealed very little change in my dilation. At one point the anesthesiologist came in to introduce herself. I kindly let her know that I was attempting a drug-free delivery and she acknowledged but insisted that we still go through the questionnaire regarding my health history.

Around 10:30 PM I had a contraction that I knew was the beginning of “transition”. For the first time, I grabbed a barf bag and as that contraction hit, I couldn’t stop throwing up. I was literally crossing my legs every contraction. for fear of pushing. The resident checked me again — only 5cm dilated.

Only 5. Hours and hours into labor. I was so discouraged. Each contraction was getting increasingly more intense.

Chad finally said, “Are you going drug-free just to say you did it again?” Truthfully, I wasn’t. But I just (thought) I could do it again; I wanted to believe my body could handle it.

I finally said that I desperately needed that epidural in order to make it through labor. The anesthesiologist was about to head out for a procedure but came running in to help me. At this point, the contractions were coming back to back. I was unable to move or breathe and the pushing sensation was intensifying.

As the anesthesiologist was prepping I yelled out that I felt like I couldn’t stop from pushing. I was checked again — 7cm. The epidural seemed to take forever. I was sitting as still as I could, crossing my legs, and screaming out in pain pretty much nonstop. Once the epidural was placed and the medicine was inserted, I thought I had to push again. I was checked once again — 9cm. I still felt all of it. I needed to know when the medicine would start to work. I was screaming at the anesthesiologist, asking why it wasn’t working. To which she kindly replied that it takes about 15-minutes to kick in.

After the 15-minutes had passed I was still feeling so much pain. She inserted even more medicine in hopes to get me comfortable — or at least not writhing in pain. Another 15 minutes later and it seemed to be working. My OB walked in and did another dilation check — 10cm.

I may not be able to handle the pain, but I know my body. I knew that when I (finally) started to dilate, it would be fast. So here we are at 11:45 PM and I’m being told that I can push at my next contraction. I have to say that the epidural must have been placed perfectly because I could not feel a single thing during pushing and it was the perfect pushing experience.

I pushed for about 4 contractions and she was here!

Mila Rose, born at 12:16 AM on Wednesday, June 20th. Weighing in at 8lbs half of an ounce and 19-inches long! Nearly 24-hours of labor but perfect in every way. Welcome to our little family, Mila. You are already so loved. ♥

Photos: Shorter Shots Photography

Filed Under: #MomLife, babies, baby girl, birth story, children, family, labor and delivery, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood, pictures, postpartum Tagged With: #MomLife, babies, baby girl, being a mom, birth story, children, family, labor and delivery, mommyhood, motherhood, oh baby, parenthood, pictures, postpartum

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marta Rivera Diaz

    July 25, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    Such a great memory to have captured in writing. It’s so important to write, write, write! Congratulations on Mila Rose!

    Reply
  2. Ruthie Ridley

    July 25, 2018 at 2:41 pm

    This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!!!! CONGRATS!

    Reply
  3. Ayanna @ 21FlavorsofSplendor

    July 25, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    She is precious! Congratulations!

    Reply
  4. Courtney N Spena

    July 25, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    These newborn photos are AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing your story!

    Reply
  5. Kim Spaetti

    July 26, 2018 at 9:00 am

    You are one strong mama! And Mila is absolute perfection!!

    Reply
  6. Lisa Favre

    July 26, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Wow! Strong mama! I love how every birth story is beautiful and unique. Also, love the newborn photographs of your little one.

    Reply
  7. Amber Battishill

    July 26, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    She’s is so precious and I loved reading about your labor and her birth! I’m glad that epidural kicked in just in time!

    Reply
  8. Jamie Young

    July 26, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    A beautiful name for a beautiful baby! Every birth story is different, and so too are our kiddos. Welcome to the “Three Kids Club” we’re happy to have you!

    Reply
  9. eryka

    July 26, 2018 at 4:20 pm

    first off congrats! second.. those photos omg!!!!!!

    Reply
  10. Elizabeth Ramsey

    July 26, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    Wow, what a story! I don’t have kids so can’t even begin to imagine what the whole process is like. Congratulations on the newest member of your family – she is precious and I just love the shot of her in the scarf/hammock!

    Reply
  11. Julie A

    July 26, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    Interesting to read this, as I had the same feeling about going natural. I never analyzed why (nor was I questioned as to why by the Chad in my life, lol), but I just knew I wanted to do it all without epidural. Thrilled to have done it, but in the end, what really matters is the baby’s arrival, regardless of circumstances, right! Congrats to you and your family!

    Reply
  12. Marcie

    July 26, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    Congrats on your latest addition! It’s so hard when you’ve had difficult births in the past! Glad you made it through!

    Reply
  13. Erica

    July 26, 2018 at 9:15 pm

    It’s amazing what our bodies can do. Even with my third, I was still nervous about the upcoming birth. I don’t think it’s something we can avoid. I had to have a c-section all three times, so it was a little bit different for me, but it makes you nervous just the same. I’m not sure if I was more nervous about the delivery or the fact that there was going to be another baby.

    Reply
  14. Jennifer Morrison

    July 27, 2018 at 12:22 am

    Congrats on your little one!!! What a blessing. Totally worth waiting for.

    Reply
  15. Cindy Ingalls

    July 27, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    Congrats on Mila. She is so precious. Whether you give birth without or without pain meds doesn’t really matter, as long as your baby is healthy. We all have to do what is right for our bodies so we can welcome our new bundle of joys into the world.

    Reply
  16. Sharon

    July 27, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    What a beautiful story of your little one’s birth. I love her name!

    Reply
  17. Jordan | Read. Eat. Repeat.

    July 27, 2018 at 7:35 pm

    I love reading birth stories! And I think it’s natural to be scared of labor and delivery, no matter how many times you’ve gone through it. There’s so many ways each labor can be different, there’s no way to really know what to expect.

    Reply
  18. Becca Wilson

    July 28, 2018 at 10:55 am

    This is such a beautiful birth story. I love to read about the journey into people’s motherhood! Every one is different.

    Reply
  19. Jojo Hua

    July 28, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    Oh she is so precious! Literally a little bundle of joy. Congratulations on your third time!

    Reply
  20. Nicole Hood

    July 30, 2018 at 12:36 am

    What a great story! Glad you had the support and overall had an easy, no complications birth. Your daughter is beautiful!

    Reply
  21. Tanvi Rastogi

    July 30, 2018 at 8:09 am

    You are a super woman! What a great story. Love the pictures too and she is precious.

    ❥ tanvii.com

    Reply
  22. joy abou zeid

    July 30, 2018 at 8:32 am

    that’s amazing! Congratulations xx

    Reply
  23. TMS

    July 30, 2018 at 9:18 am

    She is such a sweetheart, wish I lived closer and could give her a cuddle!! (and mama a break!)

    Reply
  24. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine

    July 30, 2018 at 10:52 am

    Congrats! Great to have it written down for yourself!

    Reply
  25. anna

    July 31, 2018 at 8:12 am

    I always love reading birth stories. I totally feel your pain about being checked and checked and very little progress. That happened with me during both of my deliveries and I cried both times from being so discouraged. Congratulations on your new baby girl!

    Reply

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