Delivery Specifics

On August 14, 2017, we welcomed our 7 pound 3 ounce baby girl to the world-Kyler-Rose.

Thursday, August 10th my OB checked my cervix and I was finally 1 cm dilated. I was so excited to be experiencing the early signs of labor. The contractions and pressure started coming but at the time the pain was fairly manageable and new. That manageable part changed quickly. I quickly began realizing there was a pattern to my contractions as they started being more frequent and a lot more stronger.

On Saturday, August 12th I demanded to be taken to the hospital because my pain continued to get worst. I felt my body telling me I would be going into labor at any moment. When I got to the hospital I was checked into triage (the place where they assess exactly where you are in labor and determine if you are actually ready to be admitted). Unfortunately for me, despite how much pain I was feeling I was unable to be admitted because I was still just 1 cm dilated. I wasn't sure if I was upset because I would have to endure what may have been 6 more days of pain with no meds or because I had no answers or real or options. The doctor just assured me that I would be uncomfortable leading up until the birth of my baby. At that point I knew I was in for a real journey.

Being sent home was hard for me but I used various pain management and calming techniques to help me through the contractions. When it came to the pain, my mom put it into perspective best. She said the pain from the contractions are the same each time it's just after a while your body gets tired from the repetition. For me, the pain was a strong pressure feeling. It started small until it reached its highest peak and then came back down. I was feeling more exhausted then anything. Two days went by and finally at 3AM, my water broke while I was home. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. The hospital I picked to deliver at was about an hour away. Luckily, all the action decided to take place outside of rush hour traffic, so driving was a breeze.

When we arrived to the hospital, I was admitted immediately. I had to decide whether I wanted Keith or my mom to come back into Triage with me. I was really scared and I lean on my mom for everything, but I knew this was a very important time for Keith and I as new parents, so I decided to toughen up and take him back with me. In that period, I was still experiencing the contractions and I felt weak. I told the nurses that I wanted the epidural once I was admitted into my delivery room. I didn't think twice about getting the pain reliever mainly because I was so tired. At home, I labored for a total of four days before being admitted. My mind only wanted sleep.

As far as the epidural, people online made it seem like a very painful and scary procedure. I just want to say, that the needle pain had nothing on my contractions. lol. Keith said I took it like a "G." Honestly, I felt like the needle was what all needles feel like, a quick pinch and burn.

After getting the epidural around 6AM, I was finally able to get rest. The doctor came in around 10:30 and told me I was ready to start pushing. I looked at her and begged her for some more time to sleep. I was still so exhausted from laboring. She agreed to let me sleep before we started pushing and I was extremely grateful. About two hours later, the doctor came back and said it was show time. Feeling well-rested and energized I was ready to start pushing. I pushed and pushed but I wasn't getting the rhythm. YES! There is a rhythm to pushing and it's not how you see on T.V. I was pushing and apparently they could see the baby's head but I would breathe up on accident and suck her back in. lol. So we practiced a couple of times and the doctor said "Look, you are either going to push this baby out, or I am going to cut her out." LOL YEAH RIGHT. I know what you're thinking , "What a rude doctor!" I would have thought the same thing but I am pushed by negative reinforcement. After she said that, she directed the nurse to take the epidural button away. She gave me 20 minutes to reset and told me I had to get it right, when she came back in. Sure enough, she came in and I started pushing correctly. I felt the pain from the contractions creeping back up so after about 16 pushes (probably the easiest part of it all) I pushed my baby out. Keith almost passed out at the sight of the baby coming out. I was so happy and relieved. Kyler-Rose came out with her eyes wide open. I could not believe I was starring at my beautiful baby!